No criminal charges for pro-Palestine protesters arrested at Sacramento council meeting, DA says

Twelve people arrested at a Sacramento City Council meeting in March while protesting against a cease-fire resolution in the Israel-Hamas war will not face criminal charges due to a lack of evidence, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.

A heated City Council meeting unfolded March 19 in which Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, flanked by some leaders of the local Jewish and Muslim communities, supported a resolution calling for a permanent bilateral cease-fire, the release of all hostages and humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

About 80 people gave public comment in a rancorous meeting that led Steinberg to call for a recess two times as the resolution was approved just before midnight in a 6-1 vote.

The Sacramento Police Department arrested all 12 people after they failed to follow lawful orders to disperse, police said. These people were arrested on suspicion of unlawful assembly and failing to disperse before the resolution was approved.

During the second recess, called for about 9 p.m., the Sacramento Police Department said numerous protesters stayed in chambers. Officers ordered the protesters to leave about 10:40 p.m., warning arrests for those opting to stay in connection to charges of unlawful assembly and failing to disperse. Many left, but 12 stayed behind.

Some protesters decried the resolution for seeking a “two-state” solution or that it was drafted without input from the community. Twelve protesters spent the night in jail.

“It’s a simple act of civil disobedience under the First Amendment — this is what qualifies,” Sacramento resident Kevin Boltz, 36, said in March while standing outside the downtown Main Jail.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Scott Triplett echoed those sentiments and said in a statement their office has “great respect” for the First Amendment and supports citizens’ rights to exercise that freedom.

“All cases, including those that might be described as ‘protest’ or ‘civil disobedience’ cases, are evaluated on an individual basis to determine what charges should be filed, if any,” Triplett continued in the statement. “In these cases, our office declined to file charges due to insufficient evidence.”

The resolution — which was voted down by Councilwoman Lisa Kaplan, with Councilwoman Mai Vang absent — was supported by the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Jewish rabbis. It was opposed by the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region.

The arrests marked the one of the highest-profile actions by law enforcement in California’s capital region after protests began last year related to the Israel-Hamas war. Two pro-Palestinian encampments that sprung up at UC Davis and Sacramento State ended peacefully while other California college campuses saw standoffs between protesters and law enforcement escalate into arrests. The city of Davis approved a similar resolution, also calling for a cease-fire, without strife.