UPDATE: Student and community leaders are planning a rally outside of the New Haven Court House TODAY 5/8/24 to show support for these students and community members. Today the first of the student protesters must appear in court. Protesters will gather outside of the New Haven courthouse to encourage the University to drop the charges.
Original message received from a concerned alumni leader on 5/7/24:
Yale students are asking that alum contact the Yale administration by phone to ask them to drop the charges currently pending against Yale students, their affiliates and New Haven community members who were arrested during campus protests. The students believe that while sending letters, email and petitions is impactful, phone calls carry more weight because they are more personal, are harder to ignore and show a real commitment to the purpose for the call. Phone calls also allow for immediate action by the Administration because this is a time sensitive situation.
No doubt you are aware that on April 22nd, 49 students and New Haven community members were arrested because of their participation in what has consistently been described as peaceful protests. Last week, 4 more people were arrested, some of them violently, again during what is described as a peaceful protest march. There is internet footage showing a couple of the arrests. Please check it out.
Those arrested have been charged with Class A misdemeanors, the most serious designation of misdemeanor under Connecticut law, punishable by fines and imprisonment. Again, please look it up for yourself. Arraignment of persons who have been arrested begins tomorrow morning, on May 8th. So, your immediate attention to this matter is imperative.
Students leaders believe that the penalties being imposed for civil disobedience are too severe. I agree, which is why I am sending this note and encouraging compliance with student requests.
Student leaders are asking that alum take 5 minutes out of their day to use the old fashioned communication strategy of making a phone call to the Yale administration to share our displeasure with how the arrests and charges are being handled and to request (demand, if you feel strongly) that the charges against Yale students, their affiliates and New Haven residents arrested during the protests be dropped. That’s it.
The students understand the complexity of this whole situation and are not asking alum to make statements to the Administration from any given vantage point in regard to what is happening in the Middle East. They understand that we are working through the issues, just as they are. They are not asking alum to endorse any position, one way or another. They are simply asking that we
1) express support for their right to free speech, right to assemble and right to participate in peaceful protest,
2) ask that the Administration grant campus protesters amnesty, which of course would include the dropping of all the pending charges, and,
3) advocate for a return to normalcy on campus, meaning the removal of prominent police presence.
Should you decide to comply with the request from student leaders, you may find the numbers listed below to be useful. All of these phone numbers were sourced from the official Yale website and are public information:
President Peter Salovey – (203) 432-2550
Dean Pericles Lewis – (203) 432-2900
Secretary and Vice President of University Lfe Kim Goff-Crews – (203) 432-6602
You may choose to reach out to other Administration members, in addition to or in place of these people, if you like. Contact whomever you believe will listen to our concerns. Here is a link to the Yale Directory – Directories | Yale University If you type in a name, the phone contact information will pop up.
If and when you call, please identify yourself as an alum and be prepared to give your name, class year, and college/grad or professional school affiliation. This information is important and necessary so the Administration will know that you actually are an alum and not just a random concerned caller. Alum voice matters.