Body cam, radio comms show police targeted student protest leaders

Police targeted two Indiana University student protest leaders for arrest, according to Indiana State Police radio chatter and body camera footage obtained by WFIU/WTIU.

ISP arrested Bryce Greene, a doctoral student in informatics, and Aidan Khamis, an undergraduate political science and philosophy major, on April 27, the second day of mass arrests at pro-Gaza demonstrations on campus.

The two men have been active in pro-Palestine groups, including the IU Divestment Coalition and Palestine Solidarity Committee. They also had a visible presence at the protest, leading chants and walking between lines of students and police.
 

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In a previous interview with WFIU/WTIU, ISP Superintendent Doug Carter affirmed his commitment to free speech within certain limits and made clear that the police's primary goals were to maintain safety and enforce the university's hastily created no tent policy.

“Once we got through those tents and they were removed, we didn't continue to push that crowd,” Carter said. “Then we backed off and let them continue to do what they did.”

A case report from the IU Police Department, which assisted in the arrest, sheds some light on the state police decision to focus on the two students that Saturday. It said that state officers identified Greene as an instigator and “determined that they needed to be arrested for Criminal Trespass.” WFIU/WTIU has not yet obtained a report for Khamis.

Police radio chatter from the overwatch, a position on top of the Memorial Union where police officers surveilled the meadow, confirmed that they had eyes on the “main actors”, a Black male with an afro and black shirt and a white male in a black shirt and blue jeans: Greene and Khamis, respectively.

One police commander on the field told officers to go “hands on” and arrest the two protest leaders right away. 

“As soon as we go in 10 minutes, those two are immediate,” he said.

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Ten minutes later, an officer said new orders came from leadership to not arrest until the two ran away or were surrounded by other demonstrators.

It isn’t clear from the video why the orders changed. ISP public information officer Cpt Ron Galaviz said the agency doesn't speak publicly on "deliberative decisions or operational details."

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Greene ran as the police moved in, and an officer shouted, “grab goggles!” at the same time, referring to Khamis who was wearing a pair of goggles. Officers quickly handcuffed both and they were later transported to the Monroe County Jail, along with 21 others. Although IUPD assisted, state police made the arrests.

IUPD gave Khamis a one-year ban from campus, like most others arrested. Greene was the only person to receive a five-year ban, with no explanation given. Both successfully appealed.

The Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office refused to file charges against Greene and Khamis in May, as it also did for all others arrested for trespass at the protests.