Dr. Ben Wright and Rosemary Admiral participated in a pro-Palestine demonstration. Their leadership was inspired by the experience they had while being arrested during their courageous and peaceful action on May 1, 2024. These educators courageously interposed themselves between their students and heavily armed law enforcement, making the ultimate sacrifice to protect their students’ lives.
Even though the demonstration was peaceful, the two professors were arrested, which they say was improper and illegal. For almost a year, they lived under the knife of possible criminal indictment. At long last, they got the news that they could stop worrying about being indicted. For Wright, the trauma of that August morning has continued emotionally, and she for one considers her arrest an experience of trauma. He later testified about how he was shackled at the wrist, ankle, and thigh. For 30 minutes, he had to suffer in an un-air-conditioned police paddy wagon before spending the night in jail.
Wright’s psychological experience during the arrest has been devastating. He remembers it almost in real time. He lets the barrels of the guns they used to intimidate him loaded with fear and aggression, prompting him to suppress the passionate fight that has built up within his black, male, teacher complex rodeo. This recent incident has hit close to home for him. It has done so by creating a climate of fear on campus, making students and faculty alike afraid that they will find themselves the target of disciplinary action for simply sharing their opinions.
Admiral was candid in echoing these sentiments, opening up about her own worries stemming from her family. She told us about her profound fear for her son’s future. Even the possibility of being arrested loomed large in her thoughts. I really come alive in my on-campus office, surrounded by my library of ethnographic research and stacks of books. Now that I work at UTD I still worry that I won’t be able to prove to UTD police that I belong there.
The lawsuit names a number of defendants, including UTD, the University of Texas system, former UTD president Richard Benson, current president Prabhas Moghe, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton. Specifically, it claims that the defendants violated her First and Fourth Amendment rights. In their arrests, Wright and Admiral argue that there was no probable cause. They claim that they were met with retaliation for their non-violent protest actions.
For Christina Jump, a spokesperson for the professors, UTD’s response is what she found most disappointing. UTD never acknowledged, let alone apologized for, assuming their guilt from the outset,” she said. It’s UTD who has been salivating at the opportunity to falsely convict these professors for over a year. So far, they have completely resisted any public admission of their innocence.
Reactions to the incident have given rise to larger concerns about academic freedom within the state of Texas. Gregorio Olivares Gutierrez, editor-in-chief of the Retrograde alternative newspaper, said this about the effects of recent legislative changes in Texas. Twice he raised alarm over the direction of these developments. They have, in turn, severely rolled back rights for faculty and students on campuses across the state. He called the curse a “terrible splotch that they are unable to remove.” This serves to underscore the oppressive fear that looms over UTD’s campus.
Recent legislative action has undermined faculty senates’ authority to conduct investigations and required expressive activities including protests to go only during specified times. Advocacy groups and free speech proponents contend that these kinds of measures are a chilling effect on free expression in academia. Wright and Admiral’s lawsuit is an important and growing trend. Surveillance and repression of faculty and students is growing as dissent against political orthodoxy is silenced. Those who dare to speak out are increasingly targeted by their institutions and political actors.
Wright was especially troubled by the grand jury’s ruling. They indicted 14 other student demonstrators for blocking a passageway during the same protest. He described the result as “the realization of my worst nightmare come true.” These students’ charges have created a culture of fear at UTD. Americans today are concerned about the very real repercussions if they choose to speak out.
“UTD has not only refused to hear out what the students want, but has been outright repressive and aggressive against these students and faculty and anyone on UTD staff who have demanded that UTD cut ties with genocide and occupation.”