USF police clash with protesters during campus diversity march

TAMPA — Four people were arrested after a physical altercation Monday at the University of South Florida during a protest against Gov. Ron DeSantis’ proposal to ban diversity programs at state universities.

Protesters say officers with the University Police Department used excessive force while the department said in a statement that students started the fight.

About 25 members of Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, a campus activist group, were protesting the governor’s stance on diversity, equity and inclusion departments shortly after 12:30 p.m. Monday. The group marched from the Marshall Student Center to the Patel Center for Global Solutions, chanting that they demanded a meeting with USF President Rhea Law to ask what she was doing to protect marginalized students.

Campus security approached the group, telling them not to use amplified sound. The protesters said they complied and stopped using their megaphone. The officers told them they could not be in the street and accompanied the group to the Patel Center.

When the protesters reached the Patel Center, where Law’s office is located, they said they were met in the lobby by more officers, who told them they were trespassing and needed to leave. The group, which had dwindled in size by then, stayed and continued to chant, saying they wouldn’t leave until they met with Law.

The scene escalated, with videos taken by students showing protesters and officers tussling, grabbing, shouting and falling to the floor. Four protesters were arrested.

USF police spokesperson Michael Lavalle said the four were detained after the protesters “began causing a loud disturbance” and the group ignored officers’ requests to leave.

“Despite the attempts of officers to peacefully de-escalate the situation and escort the protesters out of the building, several of the individuals then became aggressive and initiated physical altercations with police,” Lavalle said.

Lavalle said one officer was pushed to the ground and suffered minor injuries, while other officers were also “shoved by protesters.” He said “protesters hit police with objects, including what officers believe was a video camera and a water bottle, and threw an unidentified liquid at officers.”

Protesters strongly disagreed with how police described the confrontation.

“We have so many videos we were recording,” said Taylor Cook, an organizer with the group. “There was no battery on law enforcement.”

Yuki Shao, a junior at the protest, said the situation got out of control quickly.

“We were like, we are students we pay to be here,” Shao said. “All of a sudden I saw my friend being grabbed super aggressively by one of these officers. He was like twice her size and has the armor and like has a gun. So we were scared and trying to pull her back.”

Shao also said she was stunned by the response. “The police are supposed to protect us and feel safe,” she said. “I’ve never felt more not safe.”