BELCHERTOWN — Fifteen University of Massachusetts Amherst students received probationary terms Wednesday following their arrests at a sit-in protest on campus the evening before.
Each of the 15 students — 14 undergraduates and one graduate — pleaded not guilty in Eastern Hampshire District Court to a charge of trespassing after they staged a protest to call for the university system to abandon its investment in fossil fuel companies.
School officials ordered the protesters removed from the Whitmore Administration Building around 9 p.m. Tuesday, according to the university. The students were demanding that UMass commit to divesting from fossil fuel companies by the end of Wednesday and have said they will continue to occupy the building until their demand is met.
The 15 students will have their cases continued for four months while they serve probation, District Court Judge Thomas Estes decided. They will complete community service in lieu of the monthly probation fee, according to the district attorney’s office.
After the four months, provided the students complete the service hours, their cases will be dropped.
The protesters who were arrested Tuesday dubbed themselves the “first 15” and adopted the Twitter handle #first15.
At least 20 protesters within the same group said they would also subject themselves to arrest Wednesday evening by remaining in Whitmore Hall after hours, said Filipe Carvalho, a Divest UMass spokesman.
For all the seriousness of the question and the criminal proceedings, the students and judge enjoyed some lighthearted banter in court Wednesday about the climate change concerns that brought them together.
Judge Estes at one point looked out at the gathering of students in the courtroom gallery. “You know,” he said, “when I read the papers and drove over here today, I was expecting a bunch of bikes out front.”
Chuckles sounded around the courtroom, including from the students.
“We carpooled,” one of them quipped.
The judge’s banter took a more earnest turn when he questioned why the first 15 didn’t use public transportation that morning.
“I actually would’ve been proud of you if you had taken the bus and walked into the courtroom,” Estes said. “That would’ve been something.”
“If you’re all protesting this,” he continued, “it matters how you spend your money.”
The students gazed at Estes and nodded, with some murmuring in apparent agreement.
If the plan is to continue to fight against the use of fossil fuels, the judge told the students, then don’t invest in them yourselves.
Michael Majchrowicz can be reached at mmajchrowicz@gazettenet.com.