According to an analysis cited in a letter sent Thursday to the federal departments of justice and education, 95% of pro-Palestine campus protests saw no reports of violence or destruction by protesters – yet law enforcement was involved in more than 1 in 5 demonstrations. The letter asks for a probe into law enforcement agencies in places such as New York City, Atlanta, Texas, Los Angeles, to determine whether campus protests "constitute a pattern or practice of unlawful conduct," USA Today reports. Eighteen groups, including the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Amnesty International USA, Arab American Institute, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice sent a letter Thursday to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona urging a Justice Department investigation into allegations of abuse by law enforcement.
Civil rights advocates have decried forceful police response to student demonstrations, which included mass arrests and the use of tear gas, tasers, and rubber bullets. Civil rights groups also referenced specific incidents of police force across the U.S., including news footage of a Georgia state trooper tasing a protester while pinned to the ground. Muslim women reported officers forcibly removing their hijabs during arrests, the letter said, citing local news outlets in Arizona, Texas, Ohio, and Tennessee. Signatories condemned the "militarized force and tactics" used to disband the demonstrations, drawing similarities to law enforcement response to other demonstrations, such as the racial justice protests in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd.