Last updated at 11:30 a.m. on May 1
Despite last night’s events when at least 17 people got arrested, Mecha protests continued for a second evening demanding the University of Utah cut ties with Israel. This second protest started in President’s Circle when protesters began to occupy the stairs and lawn in front of the Park Building.
Earlier today, President Taylor Randall released a statement regarding the protesting.
At approximately 6 p.m. at President’s Circle, a Mecha member was arrested. This sparked the start of chants and speeches from Mecha organizers.
“Our demands represent the need for a new social order, to have the power to reshape American society,” said Gabriela Merida, a Mecha organizer. “If our institutions can fund genocide then we the people can end it.”
Mecha organizers then called for the protest to move from campus to the Salt Lake County Metro Jail.
Initially, the protesters started at the Salt Lake Sheriff’s office before promptly marching down the street to the Salt Lake County Metro Jail. There, they occupied the entrance and were asked to move by police as they were shutting down normal operations.
One woman told The Daily Utah Chronicle that she and her child were attempting to visit someone incarcerated in the jail, but were unable to due to protestors.
The protest then moved into the street where they marched up and down 900 West before promptly returning to the front of the jailhouse. Here, they continued chants and announced that they planned to stay until the previously arrested Mecha member is released.
“They took down our encampment so we brought it to them,” a Mecha organizer shouted at the jail.
Merida told the Chronicle that protestors were willing to stay all night until their associate was released. She also indicated they thought he should be released without having to pay any bail.
“He was arrested while going to the bathroom,” she said. “It was completely unjust … It’s no coincidence that they targeted one of the main student organizers on campus.”
Merida added the police said the Mecha member was arrested due to violating a dispersal order the night before, but she said he left as soon as the order was issued.
At about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Mecha posted an update to their Instagram story to say that the organizer was released from jail earlier in the morning.
“The Mecha student leader and organizer targeted by cops last night was finally released this morning after being unjustly held for nearly 12 hours,” the post read. “The struggle for Palestine will not be intimidated and will not back down!”
This is a breaking story and will be updated as the story progresses.
