JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Days after Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey blamed an after-school fight on a school district's diversity programming, a lawyer for the majority Black district in suburban St. Louis said that the state's chief attorney is showing “obvious racial bias."
Bailey, who is campaigning to keep his seat, said last week that he is investigating possible violations of the state’s human rights laws by the Hazelwood School District, after a March 8 fight left a girl hospitalized with severe head injuries.
Bailey blamed the school district’s diversity, equity and inclusion programming as a cause for the fight, which St. Louis County police say happened after school hours in a neighborhood about two blocks from Hazelwood East High School. He said were it not for the programs, a school resource officer would have been present at the school.
FILE - Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey speaks with reporters outside the U.S. Supreme Court, Feb. 28, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Days after Bailey blamed a brutal after-school fight on a school district's diversity programming, a lawyer for the majority Black district in suburban St. Louis said that the state's chief attorney is showing “obvious racial bias." (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
“I am launching an investigation into Hazelwood School District after a student was senselessly assaulted by another student in broad daylight,” Bailey said in a statement. “The entire community deserves answers on how Hazelwood’s radical DEI programs resulted in such despicable safety failures that has resulted in a student fighting for her life.”
Hazelwood School District lawyer Cindy Reeds Ormsby said in a Tuesday letter to Bailey that his “obvious racial bias against majority minority school districts is clear.”
“Do you honestly believe, again, without any official verification or specific knowledge, that the fight on March 8th was a result of a racial issue between the female students that was caused by the HSD belief in the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion for all?” Ormsby wrote. “What community do you represent as the Missouri Attorney General? Do you represent all citizens of Missouri? Or only the white citizens?”
Ormsby also questioned Bailey’s interest in the Hazelwood assault, but not several other cases of violence against students from nearby districts.
Hazelwood School District is about 95% Black and less than 2% white, according to state education department data. The races of the victim and a 15-year-old girl who was arrested for assault have not been released.
In a response Tuesday to Ormsby's letter, Bailey did not directly address her allegations of racial bias but said she should stop making personal attacks. He acknowledged his previous error in stating the date of the fight was March 11, not March 8, and again directed the district to provide records for his investigation.
Associated Press calls and emails to the family attorney of the hospitalized girl were not immediately returned. The 15-year-old has not been named by police because she is a juvenile.
Issues with school resource officers in Hazelwood schools began in 2021, when the district tried to require police to attend 10 hours of diversity, equity and inclusion training to work at the schools.
Police chiefs from St. Louis County, Florissant and Hazelwood sent a letter to the school board in June of that year saying police “receive training that is more than adequate and addresses the critical matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
No deal was reached between police and the schools, prompting the district to hire 60 private security guards to replace the school resource officers.
Hazelwood police later returned to some of the district's buildings as school resource officers. But Florissant and St. Louis County police never reached an agreement with the school district.
In a letter requesting documents from Hazelwood about the student fight, Bailey wrote that “the absence of SROs on the scene is directly attributable to Hazelwood's insistence on prioritizing race-based policies over basic student safety.”
Ormsby said school resource officers “would not have prevented a fight from occurring off school property and outside of the school day.”
Hazelwood spokeswoman Jordyn Elston said in a statement that the school district “does not prioritize DEI initiatives at the expense of student safety" and believes the programs help student safety and learning.
“These values are not negotiable," Elston said, "and we will continue to prioritize them in all aspects of our work as community leaders.”
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Protests are roiling college campuses across the U.S. as upcoming graduation ceremonies are threatened by disruptive demonstrators, with students and others sparring over Israel's military offensive in Gaza and its mounting death toll.
Many campuses were largely quiet over the weekend as demonstrators stayed by tents erected as protest headquarters, although a few colleges saw forced removals and arrests. Many students are demanding their universities cut financial ties with Israel over the large-scale operation in Gaza it says was launched to stamp out the militant Palestinian group Hamas.
Protesters on both sides of the rancourous debate shouted and shoved each other during dueling demonstrations Sunday at the University of California, Los Angeles. The university stepped up security after “some physical altercations broke out among demonstrators,” Mary Osako, vice chancellor for UCLA Strategic Communications, said in a statement. There were no reports of arrests or injuries.
About 275 people were arrested on Saturday at various campuses including Indiana University at Bloomington, Arizona State University and Washington University in St. Louis. The number of arrests nationwide approached 900 since New York police removed a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at Columbia University and arrested more than 100 demonstrators on April 18.
The plight of students who have been arrested has become a central part of protests, with the students and a growing number of faculty demanding amnesty for protesters. At issue is whether the suspensions and legal records will follow students through their adult lives.
Faculty members at universities in California, Georgia and Texas have initiated or passed largely symbolic votes of no confidence in their leadership.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said President Joe Biden “knows that there are very strong feelings” but would leave managing the protests to local authorities.
“People should have the ability to air their views and to share their perspectives publicly but it has to be peaceful,” Kirby said on ABC’s ”This Week.”
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, in an interview that aired Sunday, called it “a dangerous situation” and placed the responsibility with college administrators.
“There’s also antisemitism, which is completely unacceptable. I’ve been shocked to see that in this country,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
The nationwide campus protests began as a response by some students to Israel’s offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7.
Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry.
Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests as antisemitic, while critics of Israel say it uses such allegations to silence opponents. Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.
Student demonstrations have sprung up across the U.S. in various locations including New York, California, Missouri and Massachusetts.
Early protests at Columbia University in New York City, where demonstrators set up tents in the center of the campus, sparked pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country. The demonstrations have caused the school to hold remote classes.
Columbia has set a series of deadlines for protesters to leave the encampment, which they have missed, but the school said in an email to students that bringing back police “at this time” would be counterproductive. The students and administrators have engaged in negotiations to end the disruptions, the university said in a statement Saturday night.
On Sunday, students walked among dozens of colorful tents in front of Low Library, where rows of chairs already have been set up in preparation for commencement in May.
At UCLA, police set up barricades before hundreds of demonstrators on both sides joined a growing crowd Sunday near tents where pro-Palestinian students have been staying around-the-clock.
Pro-Israel demonstrators who arrived for a “Stand in Support of Jewish Students” rally said their goal was to “stand up against hatred and antisemitism.” The counterprotest was organized by the Israeli-American Council, whose leader Elan Carr urged marchers to remain peaceful, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“We don’t want any violence,” Carr told the crowd as the rally ended. “Don’t engage. You go right to your cars, you move peacefully. Can we agree?”
Across town, the University of Southern California said it was open Sunday after administrators shut down the campus a day earlier because of what the school called vandalism and disruptions.
USC drew criticism after refusing to allow this year's class valedictorian, who has publicly supported the Palestinian cause, to make a commencement speech. Administrators then scrapped the keynote speech by filmmaker Jon M. Chu. Last week the school announced the cancellation of its main graduation event, a day after more than 90 protesters were arrested by police in riot gear.
In the northern part of the state, officials on Saturday ordered an “enforced hard closure” of California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. Two halls remained occupied by pro-Palestinian demonstrators. The school said Sunday that the cost of the occupation was estimated to be in the millions, including damage done by “theft, vandalism and graffiti."
Washington University in St. Louis locked some campus buildings and arrested protesters Saturday. Photos showed uniformed police attempting to remove masked protesters as others, also wearing masks, linked arms to thwart the efforts.
The university said in a statement that more than 100 people, including 23 students and four university employees, were arrested on suspicion of trespassing. Megan Green, president of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, said in a social media post that she was present and the protest remained calm “until the police came in like an ambush.”
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein said in a social media post that she and two of her campaign managers were among those arrested.
The university’s statement defended the action and said protesters “did not have good intentions on our campus and that this demonstration had the potential to get out of control and become dangerous.”
Some of those arrested also face charges of resisting arrest and assault resulting from injuries to three police officers including a severe concussion, a broken finger and a groin injury, the statement said.
The Missouri chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the arrests as “heavy-handed.”
Police in riot gear cleared an encampment on the campus of Northeastern University in Boston on Saturday.
About 102 protesters were arrested and will be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct, the Massachusetts State Police said.
Northeastern said in a statement that the demonstration, which began two days ago, had become “infiltrated by professional organizers” with no affiliation to the university and antisemitic slurs, including “kill the Jews,” had been used.
The Huskies for a Free Palestine student group disputed the university’s account, saying in a statement that counterprotesters were to blame for the slurs and no student protesters “repeated the disgusting hate speech.”
Students at the Boston protest said a counterprotester attempted to instigate hate speech but insisted their event was peaceful.
Beck reported from Omaha, Nebraska, and Thompson reported from Buffalo, New York. Associated Press journalists in various locations contributed, including Christopher Weber, Jacques Billeaud, Aaron Morrison, Stefanie Dazio, Kathy McCormack, Jim Vertuno, Acacia Coronado, Sudhin Thanawala, Jeff Amy, Jeff Martin, Mike Stewart, Collin Binkley, Jake Offenhartz, Jesse Bedayn and Sophia Tareen.
Pro-Palestinian protesters camp out in tents at Columbia University on Saturday, April 27, 2024 in New York.(AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Police arrest pro-Palestinian protesters attempting to camp on Washington University's campus, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in St. Louis, Mo. (Christine Tannous/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
A Pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment is seen at the Columbia University, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
FILE - A sign that reads, "Gaza Solidarity Encampment," is seen during the pro-Palestinian protest at the Columbia University campus in New York, Monday April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah, File)
Protesters in support of Palestinians link arms as police prepare to arrest them on Washington University's campus in St. Louis, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (Christine Tannous/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
A George Washington University student, who declined to give her name, works on a school assignment while joining other students in protesting the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University in Washington, Saturday, April 27, 2024. Protests and encampments have sprung up on college and university campuses across the country to protest the war. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
A Palestinian flag flutters in the wind during a pro-Palestinian encampment, advocating for financial disclosure and divestment from all companies tied to Israel and calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, inside Columbia University Campus on Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
A Palestinian flag is reflected in a demonstrator's mask as students protest the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University in Washington, Sunday, April 28, 2024. Protests and encampments have sprung up on college and university campuses across the country to protest the war. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
A woman wearing a keffiyeh walks by a pro-Palestinian encampment, advocating for financial disclosure and divestment from all companies tied to Israel and calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, inside Columbia University Campus on Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, left, links arms with others, including Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier, second from right, and Aldermanic President Megan Green, right, while surrounding pro-Palestinian protesters as police show up to their encampment on the campus of Washington University, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in St. Louis, Mo. Dozens were arrested during the protest. (Christine Tannous/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
Northeastern University police remove and arrest protesters one by one as they sit in zip tie handcuffs at the tent encampment on campus in Boston, Saturday, April 27, 2024. Dozens of NU students and other protesters who set up tents with them on the NU campus were arrested by state, Boston and NU police. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters link arms around campers as police show up to their encampment on Washington University's campus, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in St. Louis, Mo. Dozens were arrested during the protest. (Christine Tannous/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
Police arrest protesters attempting to camp in support of Palestinians on Washington University's campus in St. Louis, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (Christine Tannous/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
People listen to a speaker at a pro-Palestinian encampment, advocating for financial disclosure and divestment from all companies tied to Israel and calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, inside the campus of Columbia University, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
