Several dozen University of Rochester students, faculty and supporters filled a courtroom Wednesday morning for the arraignment of the four UR students charged in connection with hundreds of “wanted” posters found on the campus early last week.
Samantha Escobar, Naomi Gutierrez, Jefferson Turcios and Jonathan Bermudez were all charged with second-degree criminal mischief — a felony, court records state. The four were arrested by UR’s Department of Public Safety on Tuesday and were held in the Monroe County Jail to await arraignment.
The charges stem from the alleged damage to the walls at UR. The criminal complaint makes no mention of the content of the posters, which stated some faculty members are “wanted” for being complicit in the deaths and displacement of Gaza residents during the 13-month-old war with Israel. Smaller text accused individuals of racism, hate speech and links to war crimes.
The University of Rochester’s Jewish campus organization, Hillel, condemned the posters last week, stating they “disproportionately singled out Jewish faculty and staff and used language that spreads harmful, antisemitic ideas about Jewish people.”
A different UR group, Jewish Voice for Peace, however, said the persons depicted on the posters “appear to be tied together not by religion or ethnicity but by their support of Israel’s ongoing campaign in the Mideast.”
Dressed in white-and-green jumpsuits, the four individuals were brought in to face Rochester City Court Judge Charles Crimi. The large group of supporters filling the usually empty city courtroom watched in silence as each of them pleaded not guilty and were released on their own recognizance.
Nora Goodman, left, brought Challah bread for fellow University of Rochester students outside Rochester City Court on Nov. 20, 2024. Four students were charged with criminal mischief in connection with posters they are alleged to have put up around campus.
Four charged with criminal mischief for ‘wanted’ posters. What does this mean?
Second-degree criminal mischief, according to the four felony complaints, is when someone intentionally damages the property of another person without any right to do so or any reasonable ground to believe they have the right, and when the amount of damage to the property exceeds $1,500.
The charge, if it results in a conviction for the students, could mean up to seven years in state prison, plus a fine of up to $5,000.
The four felony complaints accuses each of the students of participating in placing the posters on chalkboards, whiteboards and walls around campus between 9:12 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 10, resulting in damage to school property.
“The defendant and others participating in this crime were observed on CCTV intentionally spraying chalkboards and whiteboards with an unknown substance in spray bottles, affixing these ‘Wanted’ posters to these boards, then spraying overtop of the posters with an unknown aerosolized substance,” the felony complaint states.
The complaint alleges that the posters were later found to be stuck with superglue or a “similarly strong and durable adhesive.” This adhesive caused damage to the whiteboards, chalkboards and walls during the removal process, the complaint states, resulting in the need for replacement boards, resurfacing and new paint for the damaged walls.
A counterweighted chalkboard system, which allows instructions to move the boards up and down, was also damaged. That entire system will need to be replaced, the complaint states.
University of Rochester students and area residents attend an arraignment at Rochester City Court on Nov. 20, 2024, for four students who were charged with criminal mischief for posters they allegedly put up around the university campus.
Replacement and repair costs for the damaged property exceed $6,000, but the total likely could be more once all bids from vendors are secured, according to the felony complaint.
Accused UR students in poster case face conduct review, president says
Sarah Mangelsdorf, the university president, said the school plans to hold those responsible accountable.
“In addition to the criminal justice process, the accused students will undergo the University’s conduct procedures,” Mangelsdorf said in a statement released Tuesday following the arrests.
How are students and faculty responding?
University faculty member Sandra Boehlert expressed how the situation has created fear among professors on campus and the community.
“There’s a lot of fear in this country, we need to work together and help each other in this fear,” Boehlert said. “What I know about the campus of the University of Rochester is that no one has demonstrated any idea of violence, it’s peaceful from what I’ve seen and heard.”
Nora Goodman, a third-year undergraduate who is Jewish, showed up to the court with fresh baked Challah, a Jewish food item eaten on ceremonial occasions, offering it to students as they left the courtroom.
Stanley Martin talks to media after the arraignment of four UR students. University of Rochester students and area residents attend an arraignment at Rochester City Court on Nov. 20, 2024, for four students who were charged with criminal mischief for posters they allegedly put up around the university campus.
He said the university’s response to the posters was unprecedented and extreme.
“These posters are not antisemitic, the majority of people mentioned on them are not Jewish,” Goodman said. “I think the students understand how insane this all is, how unprecedented the university’s response has been and how they’ve been blatantly lying in their emails.”
Sarah Lajitawi, a third-year student at the University of Rochester, said she was there to support her friends who were placed in the situation.
“These are people I’m very close to; they are hardworking students who care a lot about social justice, freedom and equality for everyone,” Lajitawi said through her tears while standing outside the court building.
Lajitawi is disheartened by the way UR has handled the situation, describing how its response has perpetuated hate on campus and divided students, in her view.
University of Rochester students and area residents attend an arraignment at Rochester City Court on Nov. 20, 2024, for four students who were charged with criminal mischief for posters they allegedly put up around the university campus.
“From my experience and my friends’ experience, who hold political views that support Palestine, they’re not getting the support they need when they’re met with harassment because of this or even because of my identity,” Lajitawi said. “I am Palestinian, I can’t turn that on and off; this is who I am, and I’m being attacked because of that, and there has been no consequences.”
Stanley Martin, a Rochester City Council member, was there to show her support of the students that were arrested. “I don’t know what comes next for these students, but seeing four young adults coming out in jumpsuits is absolutely ridiculous.”
Martin explained how she is an alumna of the university and is disappointed in the institution.
“The University of Rochester has chosen to prioritize profits and the voices of people in power over students whose parents assumed that they would be safe on campus,” Martin said.
University of Rochester students and area residents attend an arraignment at Rochester City Court on Nov. 20, 2024, for four students who were charged with criminal mischief for posters they allegedly put up around the university campus.
— Madison Scott is a journalist with the Democrat and Chronicle who edited our Weld Street Project and also did reporting for it. She has an interest in how the system helps or doesn’t help families with missing loved ones. She can be reached at MDScott@gannett.com.
— Kerria Weaver works as the Government and You reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle, with a focus on how government actions affect communities and neighborhoods in Rochester and in Monroe County. Get in touch at kweaver@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: UR wanted posters: Four students accused of felony criminal mischief
