Around 30 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the Monroe County Circuit Court’s doors Tuesday, waiting to enter in support of two IU Divestment Coalition organizers charged with disorderly conduct.
They stayed outside the doors for nearly an hour until about 2 p.m., ultimately let in for the short initial hearing. After the hearing, one protester said they had hoped the charges — two filed due to the organizers’ alleged disruption of a January Bloomington Faculty Council Meeting and one on the same day of a June Board of Trustees meeting — would be dropped.
A variety of reasons brought the protesters out to the courthouse, including supporting the organizers Anna Sowka and Camryn Tuggle, and to protest the recent crackdown against the pro-Palestinian movement nationwide.
Among those concerns was the recent detention of Columbia University graduate, Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder, for his involvement in the university’s protests and encampment regarding the Israel-Hamas war.
“As the Trump administration escalates its repression, we recognize that this moment calls for unity amongst students, faculty, and staff,” the Instagram post announcing the protest read. “This moment demands labor to be withheld, it demands strikes, it demands that we fight for Mahmoud.”
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The protest started noon Tuesday at Showalter Fountain, where speeches ultimately led into a march to the court hearing. Around 40 to 50 protesters participated in the march. Demonstrators, including students and faculty, donned keffiyehs and distributed masks to other attendees as they gathered and chanted.
“Free, free Palestine,” they chanted.
Afterward, organizers stood on the fountain’s rim, condemned Khalil’s detention and urged protesters to not back down in case of retaliation from the university.
Right before 12:30 p.m., the protesters began their march down the Seventh Avenue sidewalk, passing Woodburn Hall, the Indiana Memorial Union, Chabad House of Bloomington and Sigma Chi Fraternity.
The Sigma Chi house, on cease and desist since Nov. 5 , played cornhole on the front lawn and blasted the “Star-Spangled Banner” as protesters walked by.
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The Trump Administration ordered the cancelation of $400 million in grants to Columbia University on March 7 due to the university’s alleged inaction to protect Jewish students.
On Monday, the Department of Education said it sent letters to IU and dozens of other universities threatening to pull federal funding if universities do not act regarding alleged “Title VI violations relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination.”
IUPD monitored protesters as they marched through campus along Seventh Street and Indiana Avenue.
As the demonstrators marched down Kirkwood Avenue, they were met with mixed public reaction, with some drivers booing the crowd, while others honked their horns in support, garnering cheers from protesters. Several Monroe County Sheriff Deputies shadowed the demonstrators.
At approximately 1 p.m., protesters arrived outside the Charlotte Zietlow Justice Center, which houses the Monroe Circuit Court where Sowka and Tuggle’s initial hearings were held.
Around 10 county sheriff deputies and bailiffs watched over the lobby of the building, as protesters were told they were not allowed to enter the court until 2 p.m. for the hearings.
“We were alerted there was a large crowd that was gathering near the courthouse and was heading to the Justice Building,” Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Colonel Randy Jackson said. “Just as a precautionary thing with the courts, we had some additional deputies come in just to make sure there wasn’t a problem because we weren’t really sure what the gathering was about.”
As the protesters waited outside the building, around eight people on the front lawn of a house across North College Avenue blasted “Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen, among other songs, and held an American flag directed at the protesters as they continued to boo them.
Protesters began filing into the courthouse, before entering the circuit court around 40 minutes later until 2 p.m. for the initial hearings. Every seat was taken in the courtroom.
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The initial hearing was brief, and Circuit Court Judge Mary Ellen Diekhoff didn’t drop the charges as a protester told the IDS they hoped would happen. Both organizers were assigned public defenders
The IDS spoke to both Sowka and Tuggle after the hearing, both declined to comment about their charges, but Tuggle gave a statement to the IDS about the movement.
“I just want to say thank you to everyone who came out here, but especially in support of Mahmoud Khalil, who has been detained by ICE,” Tuggle said.
She also said she wants people to focus on Palestinians in Gaza and those impacted by Trump’s policies.
“I want everyone to keep their eyes on Gaza, Sudan and Kashmir and yes, free Palestine,” Tuggle said.
After the hearing, protesters gathered at the justice center’s steps. One organizer said that they’d continue their demonstrations, planning a protest that will take place from March 31 to April 4.
“I think that something like this can feel very isolating, and we want to show solidarity with our friends,” recent IU graduate Soha Vora said. “I hope that it sends a message to IU as well, to show that despite their attempts to silence us, we’ll show out in numbers and that we’re not afraid.”
CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated to clarify the nature of the court appearance on all references.
