Click here to read the full article from USA Today
by Minnah Arshad
Eighteen civil and human rights groups are calling for a federal probe into law enforcement response to pro-Palestinian campus protests across the nation after a spate of mass arrests and encampment raids drew international scrutiny earlier this year.
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Amnesty International USA, Arab American Institute, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice, and several others signed a letter Thursday addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona urging a Justice Department investigation into allegations of abuse by law enforcement.
Signatories also called on the Department of Education to address possible civil rights violations by university officials on how they handled the demonstrations.
"Nonviolent protests are part of a longstanding tradition of activism in the United States to express concern and outrage for civil and human rights violations, press for policy change, and push officials, including government actors and university officials, to adhere to the ideals and principles of our multiracial democracy," the letter read.
Thursday’s plea comes after protests sprung up at college and university campuses across the country calling for an end to the war in Gaza and divestment from Israel. Civil rights advocates have decried forceful police response to student demonstrations, which included mass arrests and the use of tear gas, tasers, and rubber bullets.