The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office filed charges against 12 pro-Palestinian protestors on Thursday for breaking into, barricading themselves inside and vandalizing the University president’s office on June 5, 2024. The protestors, consisting of undergraduate and graduate students, face charges of vandalism and felony conspiracy to trespass.
“Dissent is American. Vandalism is criminal,” Santa Clara County District Attorney (DA) Jeff Rosen said in a statement.
According to Rosen, the protestors’ act of breaking into building 10 “crossed a line,” which is where their behavior veers into criminality. “There is a bright line between making a point and committing a crime,” he said.
An April 2 Statement of Facts from the Stanford University Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) described the group as having demonstrated a conspiracy to occupy a building “in a highly organized and orchestrated manner.”
According to investigator Ben Holt, who authored the Statement of Facts, the protesters likely “committed felony vandalism in excess of $400.” The statement also wrote that there was evidence to suggest that some members of the group attempted to delete the Signal application as police entered the building, “in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence.”
On April 3, a complaint was officially filed by Holt against all 12 protesters in the Superior Court of California, requesting an arrest warrant for the group. Bail was set at $10,000.
At Stanford, the student protestors previously received two-quarter suspensions, probation, delayed degree conferrals and community service hours after being found responsible by the Office of Community Standards (OCS) for violating university policies, University spokesperson Dee Mostofi wrote to The Daily.
“We believe the decision on how to proceed with these cases rests with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office based on the evidence gathered,” Mostofi wrote. “We respect their decision in this matter.”
Dilan Gohill, a writer for the Daily, was also detained at the occupation while covering the protest in a journalistic capacity. The DA declined to press charges against Gohill in March.
This story is breaking and will be updated.