JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Monday was arraignment day for 16 people arrested on UNF’s campus while they protested against the war between Hamas and Israel.
The group of protestors are now known as the Jax 16. They and their supporters have said they see the war as the genocide of innocent people in Palestine.
They were arrested after creating an encampment on UNF’s campus, protesting solidarity with several other universities around the country whose students were also protesting the war.
On Monday, 13 of the 16 entered not guilty pleas. They will return next month for the first pre-trial hearing but the attorney representing them says he plans to meet with the state attorney to see if the charges can be dropped.
“Drop the charges now, drop the charges now,” could be heard outside the courtroom Monday.
Marlo Crosby is one of the 16 facing a misdemeanor charge.
We asked her why it’s important to be out there. “For one, to make sure people know what’s going on. I know we made the news that fateful Thursday night. With that being said people don’t really see what happens after that. It’s important to garner support but also, the people see that we are still fighting and making sure our voices are heard even now,” Crosby said.
Judge Dawn Hudson didn’t dismiss any charges Monday, but one by one, 13 of the 16 defendants all entered a not guilty plea. The three others previously bonded out.
While in court, some of the supporters were asked to remove their Palestinian scarves. Sara Mahmoud was among them, and told us what happened after court was over.
“The bailiff came up to us in the back room and said to us that we weren’t allowed to have our scarves or keffiyehs on and he did remove them from people’s bodies, just physically removed them. I told him that I am not going to remove my scarf, I am Palestinian and this is a culture garment for me,” Mahmoud said.
The bailiff, Major Carney, told us he apologized but Mahmoud said she is considering filing a report.
The attorney for the Jax 16, Marcus Barnett, said there are what he calls defects in this case.
“The students were ordered to leave because of a so-called curfew that we can’t find any evidence of whatsoever. Nowhere in the rules governing the use of the green. Nowhere in the student conduct policy, there’s no written curfew anywhere,” Barnett said.
He also said there are certain legal requirements for police to issue a trespass warning and he says so far there was no evidence to issue the trespass warning. Barnett says he plans to meet with the state attorney’s office and hopes they do the right thing by dropping the charges.
The State Attorney’s Office issued this statement Monday afternoon:
“The State has filed trespass charges against protestors who failed to follow lawful commands — they do not have the right to choose the laws they will or will not obey. We do not intend to drop the charges.”