Eleven pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrested at Stanford University last year after occupying the president’s office have pleaded not guilty for a second time, following a grand jury indictment on felony vandalism charges.
The group, made up of current and former Stanford students and activists, was initially charged in April with felony vandalism and felony conspiracy to trespass. They entered not guilty pleas during their first arraignment in May.
After months of delays in preliminary hearings, prosecutors presented the case to a grand jury, which returned indictments last week. The move allows the case to bypass preliminary hearings, which typically determine whether sufficient evidence exists to proceed to trial.
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in court filings, “The PEOPLE are ready for trial at the soonest possible date.”
Defense attorney Jeff Wozniak criticized the process, arguing that the grand jury system denied the defendants a chance to publicly challenge the evidence. “Grand juries are secret proceedings where no defendants or defense attorneys are present to ask questions or defend themselves,” he said.
A judge has now set the trial date for November 17.
The protest, which took place on June 5, 2024, the last day of spring classes saw some demonstrators barricade themselves inside the president’s office while others linked arms outside. Chants of “Palestine will be free; we will free Palestine” echoed across campus before police ended the occupation three hours later.
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