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UC Irvine faculty member arrested at pro-Palestine event charged with felony vandalism
Brook Haley, a lecturer in the humanities, has taught at UC Irvine since the '90s.
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Topline:
A UC Irvine faculty member accused of pouring red dye into a fountain at a pro-Palestine event last spring has been charged with felony vandalism. Two Irvine students have been charged in connection with the same incident.
The case: University of California, Irvine, humanities lecturer Brook Haley was charged Wednesday in Orange County Superior Court. An arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday but has been postponed to Nov. 7.
Haley was arrested back in May but soon was released on bond. If convicted, he faces up to three years in state prison and/or a $50,000 fine.
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The students face similar penalties if convicted.
Haley’s response: Haley told LAist he believes the case stems from a growing effort within local government and higher education to silence those who share his views on Palestine.
“Pouring red dye in a fountain — of which I'm innocent, by the way — is something that would not rise to the level of a felony or even a misdemeanor a few years ago,” he said.
The backstory: University police arrested Haley on the afternoon of May 15, during what participants have described as a memorial for people killed in Gaza. He was about to make a speech at the event, he said. Haley was jailed and banned from campus for two weeks.
What's next: Sabrina Darwish, an attorney who represents one of the co-defendants but not Haley, asked a judge to postpone the arraignment until next month because defense lawyers are waiting for the district attorney to turn over discovery.
“We want to see on what evidence they're basing this charge,” Darwish said.
What authorities say: UC Irvine declined to comment. In an email, Kimberly Edds, a spokesperson for the district attorney, said: “This is an ongoing criminal prosecution, and as such, we are not at liberty to discuss the evidence in this case.”
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