Charges have been dropped against Dartmouth journalists who were arrested while covering protests

Prosecutors are refusing to move forward with trespassing charges against two student journalists who were arrested last week during Palestinian solidarity protests at Dartmouth College.

Charlotte Hampton, executive editor of The Dartmouth, and Alesandra “Dre” Gonzales, a reporter and photographer at the same news outlet, were among nearly 90 people charged in connection with the May 1 demonstrations. They told NHPR they were arrested during the observation. A well-known history professor was “sort of pinned to the ground and secured with zip ties.” On the night of the demonstrations, police repeatedly ordered people to leave the school, but Hampton said they were told by an official from the school’s communications office, who was also on site, received the residence permit.

Initially, a college spokesman suggested that the school would allow the charges against Hampton and Gonzales to go to trial.

“We understand that the Dartmouth employees who were taken into custody believe this was a mistake,” Justin Anderson, senior vice president for communications, told the student newspaper. “We stand behind their right to justify these beliefs through the legal process.”

But earlier this week, amid outcry from press freedom advocates, Dartmouth President Sian Beilock said the students who were there “to cover the protests should not be arrested for their work” and committed to “standing with the protests.” local authorities to work together to ensure this error”. is corrected.” The school has not announced whether it will ask prosecutors to drop charges against other students and faculty who were arrested that night.

On Wednesday, The Dartmouth reported that the state now states in court filings that it “does not believe it can prove the allegations against (the student journalists) beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Gonzales said she is grateful that she and her editor are not being prosecuted, but she is still watching what happens to the other students.

“I think a big point of contention on campus is whether or not her charges will be dropped,” she said.

Gonzales said one of the biggest complications she faced after her arrest was that she was not allowed access to Dartmouth Green, the area where the protests took place, as a condition of her release on bail.

“Being arrested in my identity as a journalist has had a greater impact on other areas of my life, as I report, live and go to school right in the same space,” Gonzales said.

However, she said the arrest and its aftermath did not stop her from working in journalism. She said it only encouraged her.

“I always knew that the First Amendment — particularly in this context of freedom of the press — was something that I cared deeply about and cared about, and that led me into this field,” Gonzales said. “I think the experience of being arrested motivated me even more to do my job.”

Mike Heistand, legal counsel for the Student Press Law Center, is also breathing a sigh of relief. His organization, which advocates for the rights of student journalists, called, among other things, for the charges to be dropped.

He praised the courage of journalists who worked to document what was happening on their campus, including the arrests of fellow students and faculty.

“It’s unfortunate that it took so long,” Heistand said. “I know the students there were freaking out because they had never been arrested before, had been through this process before and felt like they were just doing their job. So it’s a big relief that everything somehow worked out.”