TAMPA, Fla. — Five people arrested back in March at the University of South Florida for demanding increased on-campus diversity effort in a protest the school said turned violent will avoid prison time and instead enroll in a program, the state attorney's office said.
According to the state attorney's office, after a campus protest surrounding legislation that would impact diversity education, Gia Davilas, Chrisley Carpio, Lauren Pineiro, Jeanie Kida and Laura Rodriguez went into the USF President's office "in an effort to disrupt school business."
Carpio was a USF employee who was arrested while protesting. The other four were students at the time.
The news release said the five people put "their hands on police officers" and became "combative" as the USF officers were "guiding" them to leave the premises. Video of the arrest shows the chaos and conflict with campus police.
They were subsequently arrested and charged with battery on a law enforcement officer and disrupting a school function. The news release said the five people charged agreed to a resolution with the state attorney's office — they will enter a diversion program and avoid trial. This year-long program will include community service.
“This resolution brings closure to all parties, ensuring the defendants are held accountable for their actions," the state attorney's office said in a statement. "University campuses are bastions for free speech and learning, but the moment someone puts their hands on a law enforcement officer, a line is crossed, and consequences must follow.”
Additionally, the agreement stipulates the five people are not allowed to visit USF campuses while they are participating in the diversion program unless otherwise specified.
“The University of South Florida Police Department is satisfied with the final resolution stemming from the March 6, 2023, incident, where the five individuals involved have accepted responsibility for their actions occurring on that date," the department said in part in a statement. "It is our hope that all involved can benefit from the grace afforded them by the State Attorney’s office and move on to have very successful and productive lives. We wish them well."
Later, the department's statement continued, "The arrests stemmed from the group’s aggressive behaviors directed toward officers when we attempted to escort them from the area for repeated refusal to cease disruptive activities. They were offered alternatives to continue the protest in a less disruptive manner, but they refused."
The protest happened on March 6 on USF's campus in Tampa. When 10 Tampa Bay first spoke to students who took part in the protest, they claimed they were peacefully protesting on a public campus. One student even said police were violent and "slammed" those arrested on the ground, calling police actions "repressing."
Demonstrators during the protest were speaking out after legislation was filed in Tallahassee that effectively banned teaching Critical Race Theory. Demonstrators and critics of the legislation said this would severely limit diversity education in Florida. A version of the bill was passed and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
It took about a month before the state attorney's office filed charges, adding Pineiro to the list of those charged. The office said previously it has up to 170 days to file formal charges.