Two students sue Portland State University over campus police doing their jobs

Two students have filed lawsuits against Portland State University over the school’s response to a disruptive anti-Israel demonstration that took place at the school. 

On May 23, Makayla Topaz Arnold and David Mosqueira, the plaintiffs in the case, tried to stop campus police officers from dispersing a protest in which some students chained themselves to the doors inside of an administrative building on campus. 

The protest led to seven arrests. The two students are alleging that campus police used excessive force against them when dispersing the protest. 

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During the protest, anti-Israel activists physically attacked and hospitalized Campus Public Safety Chief Willie Halliburton. 

The plaintiffs are aiming to get more than $400,000 as well as a jury trial as a result of the lawsuit, which was filed on July 1. 

Before the lawsuits, the students had initially filed tort claims. Though the school did not answer the claims directly, it did send Arnold and Mosqueira emails informing them they violated school regulations during their participation in the protest. 

The day after the protest, PSU President Ann Cudd sent an email that announced: “I want to acknowledge that those involved in the evening’s protest experienced physical force, and CPSO Chief Willie Halliburton was taken to the hospital after suffering a medical emergency. This cannot continue, it is not a campus atmosphere that can sustain any of us at Portland State.” 

She concluded: “I will continue to support protest events and vigorous debate on our campus. I will continue to support the challenging dialogue that is taking place in the Building Community Task Force and I look forward to sharing some of their work with the wider campus. . . .  And while I will take the slurs hurled at me daily, I do not condone hate speech toward others and will do everything I can to make this a safe space for students, faculty and staff of all backgrounds. I also hope, like millions of us around the world, for an end to the killing and pain in Gaza.”

Cudd and PSU Student Body President Yousif Ibrahim also released a joint statement on May 24 that called for a ceasefire in Israel’s war against the terrorist group, Hamas. 

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“[W]e are heartbroken over the devastating loss of innocent civilian lives in Israel and Gaza, and the horrific, ongoing suffering in Gaza.  We support an end to the violence and to the current humanitarian and hostage crisis in Gaza,” the statement read. 

“Through this challenging time, our campus community has also been impacted by extensive property destruction, hateful rhetoric, psychological harm, and violence. Rather than uplifting the powerful message of our student activists, we believe these actions diminish their voices,” they concluded. 

Campus Reform has reached out to Campus Public Safety at Portland State University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.