Four of the 130 students, faculty, and community members arrested at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in May while protesting Israel’s war against Hamas will have their charges dismissed upon completion of a four-month diversion program, according to Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan.
“We believe the offer of a diversion opportunity is just and fair, in keeping with the circumstances of each case,” Sullivan said in a statement Monday, as the dozens of cases began to be heard in Eastern Hampton District Court in a process that is expected to last into next week.
Sixteen others who appeared in court Monday asked for more time to discuss the offer with their attorneys, according to the statement. Their next hearings were set for Sept. 16.
“As our prosecutors have reviewed hundreds of hours of police bodycam footage, they have offered defendants dispositional arrangements that are in keeping with their behavior at the time of arrests,” Sullivan said. “Our office sees no reason to be punitive to defendants who were peacefully protesting, engaging with democracy, and exercising their right to speak freely.”
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Judge Bruce S. Melikian will hear UMass cases all week and into next week, about 20 per day, prosecutors said. Most of the charges are for trespassing and rioters failing to disperse. Some were charged with resisting arrest.
The arrests at UMass happened amid an uprising of pro-Palestinian protests and tent encampments at college campuses across the country. Police also made arrests at Emerson College, Northeastern University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Out of the 130 arrested at UMass, 70 were students and six were faculty members, according to chancellor Javier Reyes.
The arrests were made May 7 after demonstrators set up a pro-Palestinian encampment on the student union lawn. Reyes asked campus police to disperse the crowd and dismantle the encampment after negotiations with student protesters failed.
The next day, some students were shaken by the arrests and described violent tactics used by police in riot gear. The student government that evening voted “overwhelmingly” in favor of a motion of no confidence in Reyes.
After the UMass arrests, the ACLU of Massachusetts released a statement criticizing university officials for choosing “to invite armed police into a campus protest environment.”
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“When universities choose to involve police in nonviolent demonstrations, it escalates tensions and creates unacceptable safety risks for all students, faculty, and community members,” said Carol Rose, the organization’s executive director, in the statement.
“Campus administrators have an obligation to protect students’ safety on campus; at the same time, they must take all necessary measures to protect students’ right to protest,” Rose said. “Calling heavily armed police on student political expression is an inherently dangerous choice.”
In the aftermath of the UMass protests and arrests, Colson Whitehead, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author who was slated to deliver a keynote speech at this year’s undergraduate commencement ceremony, canceled.
The May 18 ceremony proceeded without a commencement speaker.
Tonya Alanez can be reached at tonya.alanez@globe.com. Follow her @talanez.