UT-Austin professor arrested, fired after police confrontation at Pro-Palestinian protest

The Texas Department of Public Safety arrested a University of Texas professor Wednesday, more than a week after he was accused of grabbing a DPS trooper's bike and yelling expletives during the April 29 encampment that was staged to protest the Israel-Hamas war. He was then fired by the university this week, according to his lawyer.

Gerry Morris, the lawyer representing former professor Richard Heyman, disputed law enforcement's characterization of Heyman's actions, saying evidence contradicts the accusations against him.

The DPS charged Heyman, who has worked at UT for almost 18 years and is listed as a lecturer in the school of liberal arts and architecture, with interfering with public duties. The charge is a Class B misdemeanor, which can be punished with a fine of up to $2,000 and no more than 180 days in jail.

A copy of the probable cause affidavit states that Heyman approached state troopers and yelled in their faces, "F**k you, you don't belong here!" as police began making their way toward the protesters in the encampment on the lawn of the university's South Mall.

The charging document states that the officers used their bikes to create a barrier while troopers approached the encampment. That document says that Heyman attempted to "breach (the) line" and maintained his "verbally aggressive demeanor."

DPS trooper Thomas Goodson states in the charging document that he pushed Heyman back, and the professor responded by yelling. At some point, Heyman put his finger in Goodson's face and grabbed his bike by the handle and "physically started to pull my bike away from me, interfering with my assigned duties," the affidavit says.

The charging document notes that Heyman broke the trooper's "state-issued bike bell," which costs $62.

UT police then pulled Heyman away, and he yelled, "F**k you, I am a f**king professor here!"

Morris said video and witness evidence shows a "much different scenario" than what the trooper outlined in the charging document.

Morris, who did not share the video with the American-Statesman, said Heyman was yelling at troopers, which Morris noted is his constitutional right, when the trooper pushed him, and Heyman grabbed onto the bike's handlebar to not fall on the ground.

He also said that Heyman was not a part of the protest, but that he was a bystander and it appears that the troopers became "irritated" as he was "expressing his displeasure" with how police were breaking up the protest and then "shoved him."

Heyman found out he was fired on Thursday, the day after his arrest, Morris said, although he wasn't sure if a reason was given since Heyman isn't tenured.

"Nobody's fooling anybody here," Morris said. "If this had been a rally in support of Israel, they'd have been out there serving them lemonade and finger sandwiches. This is obviously a state-generated policy that they're going to go out and make all the arrests they can to try to appear tough."

The charging document also notes that Heyman had a water bottle in his hand that he "lifted above his head" and that while his finger was in the trooper's face, Heyman's arm was "primed to swing the bottle."

Morris called that allegation "ridiculous" and said the video shows that Heyman just "had a water bottle in his hand" and that it was never "brandished in any sort of threatening manner."

UT spokesperson Brian Davis declined to comment on the arrest. When asked about Heyman's firing, Davis said the university doesn't discuss personnel matters.

The DPS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Anne Lewis, who represents Central Texas on the executive board of the Texas State Employees Union, which represents UT employees and which Heyman has been a part of since 2007, said the union is planning to support all its members who face consequences related to the recent protests and firings resulting from Texas' ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public universities.

"What's going on at the University of Texas, and this particular case, is part of a very broad attack on democratic institutions and particularly public higher education," Lewis said.

Lewis said Heyman is still listed as teaching three courses in the fall, two of which are waitlisted.

During the April 29 protest, police arrested 79 people. Since then, police have also charged a San Marcos man with a third-degree felony for bringing a gun on campus without a license during the protest, according to an arrest affidavit. The brief encampment on April 29 came just days after police arrested 57 people on April 24 for another protest in support of Palestinians.

Protests and encampments have broken out on campuses nationwide as protesters call for universities to divest from their support of Israel. The war has led to more than 34,000 Palestinian casualties since it began after the deadly Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, a Palestinian militant group.

DPS troopers were first called to UT in response to the April 24 protest at the request of the university and Gov. Greg Abbott and remained on standby in the following days.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: UT professor arrested, fired after police confrontation at protest