Gov. Ron DeSantis visits University of Florida to discuss pro-Palestinian protests, and Black voters could be influential in November.
DeSantis vows to maintain law and order in Florida over pro-Palestinian protests
Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke at the University of Florida on Wednesday, touting Florida’s efforts to maintain law and order as pro-Palestinian protests have been seen across the country in recent weeks, causing chaos on some college campuses.
“In Florida, we prioritize order and student safety on campus,” DeSantis said. “While other states allowed their college campuses to be vandalized and taken over by antisemitic agitators, Florida held the line.”
State leaders made it clear that if protesters break the law, they are no longer a protester, but a criminal instead.
While protests continue at UF and at other universities across the country, incidents like harassment or camping out have led to roughly 40 arrests in Florida so far.
DeSantis praised the school’s quick actions to disband encampments made by protesters, calling it the “Encampment-Free University of Florida” and saying “you do not have a right to commandeer property.”
Some arrested students are facing year-long bans from the campus, while others are being banned from attending their graduation.
“I think there are great days ahead, not just for this university but throughout the state of Florida,” DeSantis said. “But we’re going to do it right. We’re going to be focusing on academic rigor. We’re going to be focusing on the pursuit of truth. We will not let the inmates run the asylum in the Sunshine State.”
During the news conference, DeSantis also announced further support for student safety funding, including:
$569 million for K-12 school safety funding
$20 million to protect Jewish Day Schools
$20 million to protect Florida’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities
According to the governor’s office, DeSantis will approve that funding when he signs the Focus on Florida’s Future budget for 2024-2025.
This week, DeSantis also signed House Bill 1473, which improves school safety across the state by:
Requiring classroom doors and gates to be locked at all times;
Streamlining the process for former law enforcement officers to become school guardians;
Mandating instruction to students on using the Fortify Florida tool, which is the state’s anonymous tip reporting tool; and
Prohibiting the operation of a drone over a school campus or Jewish Day School.
U.S. News & World Report has ranked Florida as No. 1 in the country for education for the second year in a row, and No. 1 in the country for higher education for the eighth year in a row.
33 arrested at George Washington University as D.C. mayor's congressional hearing is canceled
Police using pepper spray cleared a pro-Palestinian tent encampment at George Washington University and arrested dozens of demonstrators on Wednesday, just as city officials were set to appear before hostile lawmakers in Congress to account for their handling of the two-week protest.
The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability canceled the hearing after the crackdown, with its chairman and other Republicans welcoming the police action. House Speaker Mike Johnson said: “It should not require threatening to haul D.C.’s mayor before Congress to keep Jewish students at George Washington University safe.”
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, said she and Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith decided to clear the camp based on shifting information about increased threats. Smith said there were signs “the protest was becoming more volatile and less stable.”
Among them were indications that protesters had “gathered improvised weapons” and were “casing” university buildings with the possible intention of occupying them, police said.
Tensions have ratcheted up in standoffs with protesters of the Israel-Hamas war on campuses across the United States and increasingly in Europe. Some colleges cracked down immediately, while others have tolerated the demonstrations. Some have begun to lose patience and call in police over concerns about disruptions to campus life and safety.
Police also moved in Tuesday night to break up an encampment at the University of Massachusetts. Video from the scene in Amherst showed an hourslong operation as dozens of police officers in riot gear systematically tore down tents and took protesters into custody.
The operation continued into early Wednesday, and police said about 130 people had been arrested after protesters refused orders to disperse.
D.C. police said officers moved to disperse demonstrators at George Washington because “there has been a gradual escalation in the volatility of the protest.” They said 33 arrests were made, including for assault on a police officer and unlawful entry.
They confirmed they used pepper spray outside the encampment against protesters who were trying to break police lines and enter.
George Washington had warned of possible suspensions for continuing the camp on University Yard. Protesters carrying signs reading “Free Palestine” and “Hands off Rafah" also marched to school President Ellen Granberg’s home Tuesday night.
The school said in a statement that while it is committed to free expression, "the encampment had evolved into an unlawful activity, with participants in direct violation of multiple university policies and city regulations."
Throughout the roughly two weeks of the encampment, the scene had been largely tranquil.
The tightly organized demonstrators and pro-Israeli counter-protesters who stood along the edges interacted without serious conflict. Some of the most charged confrontations involved people objecting to the treatment of a George Washington statue, wrapped with Palestinian scarves and flags with “Genocidal Warmonger University” spray painted on its base.
Since April 18, about 2,800 people have been arrested on 50 campuses, figures that are based on Associated Press reporting and statements from universities and law enforcement agencies after this latest anti-war movement was launched by a protest at Columbia University in New York.
Black voters could be influential in November
As the upcoming 2024 election approaches, there’s a group of society that lags behind other racial and demographic groups when it comes to voter participation.
Pew Research estimates Black Americans will make up about 14% of the electorate in this November’s presidential election.
But while Black women make up a higher percentage of women who vote, Black men make up a smaller percentage of overall men who vote.
That data shows Black women’s participation in election is about ten percentage points higher than Black men.
In an election that could be close, campaigns know getting out the vote among all parts of the electorate could be key.
Marquis McKenzie found himself unable to vote for 10 years after being locked up for armed robbery.
In a perilous prison sentence, he found pride in cleaning, something he knew he could do well.
“My dorm came in first place for six months straight, so I’m like if I’m doing this for free, when I get out I might as well do it," he said. "Because I didn’t think any establishment would be worse than cleaning a prison. So it’s something I learned a passion for at an early age."
When McKenzie was released from prison, he had trouble moving up in jobs because of his felony conviction, and eventually started his own cleaning business.
But even a successful business owner, it took 10 years for McKenzie to regain his right to vote, only after Florida voters approved a ballot amendment pushed by the Florida Rights Restoration Coaltion.
He now works for the organization to help other returning citizens returning from incarceration fully regain their voting rights. He said the state voter registration system, though, can create confusion.
“We’ve seen people who felt they were whole-heartedly eligible to vote receive a voter registration card, and then they go vote and turn around and get arrested,” he said.
He said that can lead to apathy.
“They just totally check out of the process, right?" he said. "Even those who are eligible or right there at the finish line, one little hiccup, can cause them to not want to be involved in democracy, which is crazy."
McKenzie said when he first got out of prison, he didn’t care about voting.
“I think for a lot of people, they don’t understand it so they stay away from it," he said. "And I didn’t think voting was necessary, and I didn’t think it was a tool I needed to survive, so it was the last use of my worries, to be honest,."
Now that he can vote again, McKenzie said he doesn’t miss an election. But he gets why other Black men don’t vote.
With that segment of society disproportionately incarcerated, McKenzie says even if they regain their voting rights, many don’t care to vote. He said those running for office must make the connection.
As a small business owner, the economy is everything. As a father of three, he’s also concerned about education. And if government leaders or candidates aren’t addressing affordable housing, he believes many in his community lose faith in the system.