Arrests at Stanford for Trespass and Vandalism

From today’s statement by Stanford President Richard Saller and Provost Jenny Martinez; Newsweek (Jesus Mesa) reports that the graffiti include “FUCK AMERIKKKA,” “DE@ATH 2ISR@HELL,” “Kill cops,” and “PIGS TASTE BEST DEDAD”:

Dear Stanford community,

We are appalled and deeply saddened by the actions that occurred on our campus earlier today.

As you know from earlier alerts that were sent out, a group of protesters broke into and occupied Building 10 early this morning until they were arrested and removed by law enforcement. A public safety officer was injured by protesters as part of the response to the occupation.

In addition to damage done inside the building, protesters committed extensive graffiti vandalism on the sandstone buildings and columns of the Main Quad this morning. This graffiti conveys vile and hateful sentiments that we condemn in the strongest terms. Whether the graffiti was created by members of the Stanford community or outsiders, we expect that the vast majority of our community joins us in rejecting this assault on our campus.

Thirteen individuals were arrested inside Building 10 this morning. In addition to going through the law enforcement process, any arrested individuals who are students will be immediately suspended. Any who are seniors will not be allowed to graduate. These actions are necessary based on the public safety threat posed to our campus community.

The Department of Public Safety is continuing to investigate all of the unlawful actions that occurred on our campus this morning. We encourage you to reach out to DPS at (650) 329-2413 with any information you may have.

The university also has removed the encampment at White Plaza. As you know, the encampment has violated a number of university policies since its installation. While students have been sent to the Office of Community Standards disciplinary process for those policy violations, until today we have allowed the encampment to remain.

The situation on campus has now crossed the line from peaceful protest to actions that threaten the safety of our community. This began with the recent attempted occupation of Building 570 and has now escalated into today’s deeply unfortunate events. In the interest of public safety, the encampment has been removed.

There continue to be many ways for members of our community to engage in the peaceful expression of diverse viewpoints on important global issues, in a manner consistent with our university policies. We value that continued peaceful and reasoned debate but forcefully condemn any actions like those that were taken today.

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