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Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan attorney general drops charges against University of Michigan Diag protestors
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Rhiannon Willow, a PhD student and research assistant in the Physics Department, speaks at TAHRIR Coalition "Call to Action". July 1, 2024. Willow was one of seven people whose charges for trespassing and resisting and/or obstructing a police officer during campus protests were dropped Monday by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. (Photo by Jon King/Michigan Advance) Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Monday that her office was dropping charges against seven pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Michigan. The seven individuals; Oliver Kozler, Samantha Lewis, Henry MacKeen-Shapiro, Michael Mueller, Asad Siddiqui, Avi Tachna-Fram and Rhiannon Willow, were charged last September with trespassing and resisting and/or obstructing a police officer after an encampment by pro-Palestinian protestors on the university's Diag on the Ann Arbor campus was broken up by police in May 2024. All seven previously pleaded not guilty and were in Ann Arbor District Court Monday morning awaiting a decision on a motion for Nessel to recuse herself from the case when they learned of the dismissals. In announcing the decision to drop the charges, Nessel called the recusal motion a 'diversionary tactic,' and that because the case had become 'a lightning rod of contention,' it was no longer in the public's best interest to proceed. 'These distractions and ongoing delays have created a circus-like atmosphere to these proceedings,' Nessel said. 'While I stand by my charging decisions, and believe, based on the evidence, a reasonable jury would find the defendants guilty of the crimes alleged, I no longer believe these cases to be a prudent use of my department's resources, and, as such, I have decided to dismiss the cases.' Another factor in Nessel's decision was a letter the Detroit Free Press reported was sent to the court last week by the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor, defending Nessel against accusations that she was biased against the Muslim and Arab American communities. 'We have learned that a public statement in support of my office from a local non-profit has been directly communicated to the court,' Nessel said in her statement. 'The impropriety of this action has led us to the difficult decision to drop these charges.' In response to the news, the TAHRIR Coalition, made up of dozens of pro-Palestinian student groups at the University of Michigan, said on social media that the decision 'is what happens when we resist and refuse to cower.' The protests were part of a wave of demonstrations at college campuses across the nation that began in the aftermath of Israeli military strikes in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, surprise attack by Hamas on Israel. Meanwhile, Nessel's office continues to carry out an investigation of pro-Palestinian protesters accused of causing approximately $100,000 of damage at up to a dozen locations, including at the homes of University of Michigan President Santa Ono and University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker. A warrant sweep in conjunction with that investigation was carried out last month at locations in Ann Arbor, Canton and Ypsilanti. Charges have yet to be filed in those incidents. On Sunday, Ono announced he would leave the university later this summer to become the president at the University of Florida. Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor for questions: info@ SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nessel's office drops charges against University of Michigan Diag protestors
Rhiannon Willow, a PhD student and research assistant in the Physics Department, speaks at TAHRIR Coalition "Call to Action". July 1, 2024. Willow was one of seven people whose charges for trespassing and resisting and/or obstructing a police officer during campus protests were dropped Monday by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. | Photo by Jon King Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Monday that her office was dropping charges against seven pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Michigan. The seven individuals; Oliver Kozler, Samantha Lewis, Henry MacKeen-Shapiro, Michael Mueller, Asad Siddiqui, Avi Tachna-Fram and Rhiannon Willow, were charged last September with trespassing and resisting and/or obstructing a police officer after an encampment by pro-Palestinian protestors on the university's Diag on the Ann Arbor campus was broken up by police in May 2024. All seven previously pleaded not guilty and were in Ann Arbor District Court Monday morning awaiting a decision on a motion for Nessel to recuse herself from the case when they learned of the dismissals. In announcing the decision to drop the charges, Nessel called the recusal motion a 'diversionary tactic,' and that because the case had become 'a lightning rod of contention,' it was no longer in the public's best interest to proceed. 'These distractions and ongoing delays have created a circus-like atmosphere to these proceedings,' Nessel said. 'While I stand by my charging decisions, and believe, based on the evidence, a reasonable jury would find the defendants guilty of the crimes alleged, I no longer believe these cases to be a prudent use of my department's resources, and, as such, I have decided to dismiss the cases.' Another factor in Nessel's decision was a letter the Detroit Free Press reported was sent to the court last week by the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor, defending Nessel against accusations that she was biased against the Muslim and Arab American communities. 'We have learned that a public statement in support of my office from a local non-profit has been directly communicated to the court,' Nessel said in her statement. 'The impropriety of this action has led us to the difficult decision to drop these charges.' In response to the news, the TAHRIR Coalition, made up of dozens of pro-Palestinian student groups at the University of Michigan, said on social media that the decision 'is what happens when we resist and refuse to cower.' Pro-Palestinian protesters slam U of M for asking Michigan AG to press charges against students The protests were part of a wave of demonstrations at college campuses across the nation that began in the aftermath of Israeli military strikes in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, surprise attack by Hamas on Israel. Meanwhile, Nessel's office continues to carry out an investigation of pro-Palestinian protesters accused of causing approximately $100,000 of damage at up to a dozen locations, including at the homes of University of Michigan President Santa Ono and University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker. A warrant sweep in conjunction with that investigation was carried out last month at locations in Ann Arbor, Canton and Ypsilanti. Charges have yet to be filed in those incidents. On Sunday, Ono announced he would leave the university later this summer to become the president at the University of Florida. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
CBS News
23-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
FBI raids homes in Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor and Canton for vandalism investigation
FBI agents brought four people out of their Ypsilanti residence in handcuffs Wednesday morning during one of several search warrants requested by the Michigan Attorney General's Office. Dana Nessel's office confirmed that it also carried out search warrants in Ann Arbor and Canton and said it was related to a vandalism investigation. Officials say the searches are not related to protests or encampments at the University of Michigan. TAHRIR Coalition, a group that was central to Gaza War divestment protests on the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus, claims these raids targeted pro-Palestinian protesters. The attorney general's office confirmed federal, state and local law enforcement agencies were involved in this operation, but U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement wasn't one of them. While four people were put in handcuffs at this Ypsilanti residence, the attorney general's office says law enforcement released them within 15 minutes, and they were never under arrest. TAHRIR Coalition claimed in a statement that these searches were carried out against Gaza War protesters and that two other people were detained and then released during a search in Ann Arbor. The group claims law enforcement took electronics and personal belongings from both searches while also questioning the people who lived there. A group quickly gathered outside the Ypsilanti raid responding to a social media call for action by TAHRIR Coalition and SAFE Umich. The Ypsilanti Police Department issued a statement saying that it was on scene for crowd control. The Ann Arbor Police Department also wrote that it was involved and that the investigation is related to reported crimes that were committed in Ann Arbor. Both agencies reiterated that immigration enforcement was not involved.
Middle East Eye
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
FBI raids University of Michigan pro-Palestine students' homes
Video shared on Wednesday by a local digital news outlet in Dearborn, Michigan showed men in FBI-emblazoned vests breaking down the door of a home where pro-Palestine student protesters live. According to the pro-Palestine group TAHRIR Coalition, the raids took place at three locations: Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Canton, all at the homes of University of Michigan students who were involved in campus protests in support of Gaza. While all the residents were briefly detained then released, their devices were confiscated, TAHRIR said. The move is the boldest action yet to crack down on student protesters in the area. At least 11 other students already face charges by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Nessel has indicated that it remains her mission to root out what she describes as antisemitism on college campuses.
