TAMPA, Fla. — There was a noticeable quiet throughout MLK Plaza on Wednesday at the University of South Florida.
The calm scene was very different compared to the clash of law enforcement and pro-Palestinian protesters on Tuesday.
Tear gas was deployed by law enforcement to break up the demonstration of close to 100 people, with 10 people being arrested.
The demonstration was organized by a suspended student group called Tampa Bay for a Democratic Society.
Group President Victoria Hinckley was demonstrating Tuesday when it was broken up by law enforcement and described Wednesday what happened.
“It was really scary,” she said. “But more than anything, it really (upset me) and made me really angry because, you know, to see that on my own campus where I’m a student and I go to school at, and to see them try to do that to, you know, not only me, but like my fellow protesters.”
She said the demonstrators were practicing their first amendment right to protest on a public campus.
However, USF administration shared this message Tuesday night, saying in part, “Police and university staff also observed protesters bringing in wooden shields, umbrellas, and tents. The protesters then locked arms, raised the shields and umbrellas, and communicated their intent to refuse to leave. USF Police determined that these actions were a dangerous escalation and that the protest was no longer peaceful.”
Hinckley defended the use of the plywood boards.
“The barriers that we had, the wooden supplies that we had, was to keep our members safe. It was, you know, we’ve as I said, we’ve seen like horrible, horrible violence being unleased at student protests. We knew what, you know, could happen here. So we wanted to be prepared for everything that was possible.”
Hinckley still feels their message and demands were heard. They want USF to divest from companies that profit from the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. They also want USF to not accept funding from companies that support the Israeli government.
While she was not arrested by law enforcement, she will face consequences.
“I’m suspended. Our SDS members, another member is suspended as well. Yeah. We’re trespassed,” she said. “We’re charged with a slew of charges, including stuff like, you know, explosives and firearms, which, you know, we didn’t have.”
The charges she references are student code of conduct charges from USF, not law enforcement. Hinckley will have a hearing with USF Friday to learn more about those charges.
As for the demonstration on 56th Street and Fowler Avenue, that started at 5:30 p.m. Hinckley said she planned to participate.
People were expected to demonstrate, give speeches and even march, potentially toward campus.