Civil rights groups call for DOJ probe on police response to campus protests

Eighteen civil and human rights groups are calling for a federal probe into law enforcement response to pro-Palestinian campus protests across the nation after a spate of mass arrests and encampment raids drew international scrutiny earlier this year.

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Amnesty International USA, Arab American Institute, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice, and several others signed a letter Thursday addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona urging a Justice Department investigation into allegations of abuse by law enforcement.

Signatories also called on the Department of Education to address possible civil rights violations by university officials on how they handled the demonstrations.

"Nonviolent protests are part of a longstanding tradition of activism in the United States to express concern and outrage for civil and human rights violations, press for policy change, and push officials, including government actors and university officials, to adhere to the ideals and principles of our multiracial democracy," the letter read.

Thursday’s plea comes after protests sprung up at college and university campuses across the country calling for an end to the war in Gaza and divestment from Israel. Civil rights advocates have decried forceful police response to student demonstrations, which included mass arrests and the use of tear gas, tasers, and rubber bullets. 

Civil rights groups decry police, university response to protests

The wave of anti-war protests on college campuses began at Columbia University on April 17 as students pitched the first tents on South Lawn. Similar demonstrations spread across the country within weeks, with students at nearly 150 colleges and universities in 35 states joining the movement, according to an analysis cited in Thursday’s letter by the Bridging Divides Initiative.

Researchers concluded that 95% of the protests saw no reports of violence or destruction by protesters – yet law enforcement was involved in more than 1 in 5 demonstrations.

The letter asks for a probe into law enforcement agencies in New York City, Atlanta, Texas, Los Angeles, and beyond about whether their response to campus protests "constitute a pattern or practice of unlawful conduct."

Civil rights groups also referenced specific incidents of police force across the U.S., including news footage of a Georgia state trooper tasing a protester while pinned to the ground. Muslim women reported officers forcibly removing their hijabs during arrests, the letter said, citing local news outlets in Arizona, Texas, Ohio, and Tennessee.

Signatories condemned the "militarized force and tactics" used to disband the demonstrations, drawing similarities to law enforcement response to other demonstrations, such as the racial justice protests in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd.

"While police violence may have been the unfortunate response to past and present-day peaceful protests, it should not be tolerated by this Administration," the coalition wrote.

University officials criticized for handling of campus protests

Civil rights groups also decried the response of university officials who called on city and state police to break up student protests, which may have created "hostile environments" in violation of the Civil Rights Act. The letter specifically criticized administration officials at Columbia, Emory University, UT Austin, and the University of California, Los Angeles.

At UCLA, university officials had said they immediately called in police when counter-protesters attacked pro-Palestinian student protesters – but officers did not arrive until nearly three hours later, and attackers were not arrested, USA TODAY previously reported.

In contrast, the university said at least 200 people were arrested when dozens of police arrived to dismantle the encampment. The letter criticized the stark difference between the two responses and said it raised "critical concerns" about whether UCLA students were granted non-discriminatory protection under the Civil Rights Act.