Jason Armesto
@rmest0
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Higher Education reporter @ajc | previously @columbiajourn @bbcnorthamerica @dailyprogress and other places too | send tips [email protected]
Joined October 2016
After Biden withdrew, @LarrySabato told me his approval # would jump, similar to LBJ. When LBJ withdrew, his Gallup rating was 36%, same as Biden. By the next poll, LBJ was in upper 50s. "[Biden] will certainly go into the 40s and that will help Harris.". Poll has Biden at 46%.
Just one poll, but Biden’s approval rating jumping to its highest since his 2024 campaign launch suggests that plenty of Americans think he’s done good/fine as president but feel very strongly that he’s too old to do another four years.
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Just filed a story on today's UVA Town Hall. Many not thrilled with what they heard, and I'll have more on people who dispute some of UVA's account. But something that stood out to me: police chief Longo saying anyone exposed to pepper spray was treated by medical personnel. .
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Students marching to UVA president Jim Ryan’s residence. They want to know why state police were brought in yesterday.
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That just can’t be true. I saw multiple people – most appeared to be students – after they’d been sprayed. One guy was pouring bottles of water all over his reddened face and eyes. "It hurts really bad, man." . He was maybe three water bottles deep. Never saw him get treatment.
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@EmilyHemphill06 A strange and easily disprovable claim. Perhaps Longo was referring to the people in the encampment who were arrested. But that doesn't account for all the others who weren't part of the encampment, who were sprayed by state police as they were pushed off campus.
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A girl was laying on the grass with a group of people kneeling over her, using water to try to get the pepper spray out of her eyes. Didn't see treatment. My fellow DP reporter @EmilyHemphill06 got sprayed. Shaken up but she took it like a champ. No treatment.
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Ryan wrote that the "entire episode was upsetting, frightening, and sad.". Worth noting that the episode would not have occurred had state police not been ordered to break up the encampment.
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Charlottesville women came out in big numbers tonight for event supporting Kamala Harris. Over 300 people attended. Some had to wait outside bc room was at capacity. Lots of enthusiasm. “This is so exciting,” said one. “Something magical is happening,” said another
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Had to file a story by deadline, but here’s where things stand:. Roughly a dozen people were arrested. After the encampment was broken up, police continued moving toward the large crowd that had gathered. It used teargas to make them disperse, gassing students and a DP reporter.
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Charges are being dropped against the UVA protestors, including one accused of punching a cop. Video and witnesses dispute the officer's account and may have led to the case being thrown out. One person told me there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute.
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Big crowd of students has gathered at the Rotunda. Mostly chanting and talking. An opportunity to collectively process yesterday’s arrests. They are not happy with Jim Ryan or his statement. “Jim Ryan said we assaulted police officers first. What the fuck?”
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Faculty members will be hosting an "Honest Town Hall" tomorrow that will use photo/video/written evidence to "dispel confusion and offer clarity about" Saturday. It's a response to "the lack of transparency and confusion that has been offered by University officials."
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A couple dozen students walked out of the UVA graduation as Jim Ryan took the stage. A few are holding signs on the rotunda steps. Not sure how long they’ll be allowed to keep it. The sign was laying on the steps until admin told them they have to hold it. “Blood on UVAs hands”
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UVA says a series of events Fri/Sat. led them to deploy state police, including:. -Tents.-4 men in black.-Longo feeling fear.-Protestors "swinging objects". But witnesses dispute most of the claims. My story detailing how their account differs from UVA's.
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In UVA's justification to ultimately send in state police, it said Longo deemed the situation unsafe when he'd approached the protestors to remove tents. They blocked him from the tents and began chanting. He feared they'd surround him and he'd have to defend himself. VIDEO:
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A letter from 34 members of UVA history dept. demands answers about the police response. Says faculty and admin had worked out a plan to fully communicate/deescalate at every stage. So why were state police sent?. "The explanations we have received so far are simply not credible".
Members of the History faculty @UVA condemn yesterday's police action and demand an honest explanation from the university. Proud to co-sign this open letter with 34 colleagues and counting.
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I wrote about a nursing student who was being denied access to UVA Grounds, keeping him from a summer externship. UVA has since relented, allowing him to begin his paid position and avoiding a lawsuit. Abdelhamid had planned to sue UVA as a last resort.
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@ArmandoSalguero @HelmanDC You: The U.S. wasn’t founded on racist ideas!. Also you: The U.S. was so racist that it literally wouldn't exist if it hadn't "compromised" that black people aren't full human beings.
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One outstanding question: who ordered state police to break up the camp?. We have yet to hear from UVA president Jim Ryan. Governor Youngkin’s office and Virginia State Police have so far not responded to my requests for more info.
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Today's story on what we do and don't know about Saturday:. -No one is taking credit for sending in state police.-Some say UVA was pressured by Gov. Youngkin's office.-A witness disputes police claims that a woman charged with assault punched an officer.
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But we aren't getting any real details on these individuals, or how they were able to identify them considering they were masked. They said the individuals had participated in previous incidents in the community. Very few specifics given.
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Several people pointing out to me that there are tents set up on other parts of campus. I’m waiting to hear back from UVA on whether those tents have gone through the proper approval process.
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In April, UVA's Jim Ryan agreed to sit down with a student divestment group that had been trying to meet with him for months. But after Saturday and the town hall, they changed their plan. “President Ryan, your students are waiting for you outside.”.
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UVA says it "wasn't about the tents.". They say 4 people wearing all black, helmets and masks joined the encampment, and they determined those individuals had a history of participating in violent protests. UVA says it became a safety issue.
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Town hall story:. -UVA vetted questions, only took select few.-UVA says Longo made decision to send in state police, consulted w/ Ryan / JJ Davis.-UVA worried more ppl would join encampment .-When UPD approached, group used umbrellas "in aggressive manner".
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UVA reached a $9 million settlement w/ the families of the 2022 shooting victims. While a step towards closure, families still want to see the independent report that UVA initially promised to release but is now withholding. We're suing UVA to get it.
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UVA says 27 people were arrested:.- 12 are students.- 8 are unaffiliated with UVA .- 4 are employees .- 3 were former either employees or students. Local jail told me yesterday it was only sent 24 people.
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Late to post but. story on 4 mystery men who were part of UVA's justification for deploying state police. UVA still won't say who the men were. Based on the few details offered, none of the 27 people arrested match the descriptions of the men in black.
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A local freelance journalist was among the 27 arrested. Not part of the protest, no criminal record, charged with trespassing. With his charge dropped, he's now able to speak freely about his experience. TLDR: "This was complete bullshit!".
Today in Albemarle County court, the DA dismissed the trespassing charge I got hit with while I tried to report on the UVA student encampment. This is great: No more court dates, no record, no community service, etc. but MOSTLY now there's nothing stopping me from posting.
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Another UVA group has published a letter condemning "the needless use of excessive force against peaceful demonstrators.". "From our own ample first-hand accounts, we find allegations that the demonstrators were unusually disruptive or a source of any danger to others unfounded."
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UVA tells me that Jim Ryan was on grounds all of Saturday at the university's "command post" along with provost Baucom. "It’s the place where the individuals who were responsible for monitoring and responding to this incident gathered to monitor events and make decisions.".
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It appears the quartet wasn't arrested, which leaves us with a few possibilities. 1. The men arrived Friday night but left before police arrived Saturday. 2. They were present Saturday but somehow evaded authorities. 3. The mystery men weren't there at all?
Late to post but. story on 4 mystery men who were part of UVA's justification for deploying state police. UVA still won't say who the men were. Based on the few details offered, none of the 27 people arrested match the descriptions of the men in black.
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The first night at the encampment I counted 80 people. After that it dropped to a couple dozen, with questions about whether the encampment had the full support of SJP and Palestinian students. But after watching classmates get gassed, the protest has UVA students full attention.
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What’s absolutely clear is that this is easily the most attention the protestors have gotten since they started the encampment Tuesday. At some points it seemed to even have an attendance problem, with repeated calls on social media for more people to join.
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Annnnnnddd they’re gone. MTG/McGuire were in the crowd for several minutes with a megaphone but the anti MAGA crowd was too loud for them to be heard. So they wrapped up early and left to cheers.
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Roughly 100 cops with riot shields and some with rifles have lined up behind the rock wall along University Ave. A crowd is gathered in the street, yelling at the police and telling them to go home.
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Police have moved in. They are making arrests and taking down tents
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Roughly 100 students chanted Ryan’s name at Carr’s Hill. They claim he is scared to meet with students. “This is the same president that unleashed the state police and the national guard onto his own students.”. Then a chant: “Hey Jim Ryan, your students are crying.”
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Their entrance. With over 50 protesters in deep blue Albemarle the visit went as well as one might have expected. “A real Charlottesville welcome, bitch!” one yelled a few feet from @RepMTG . Police formed a semicircle around the MAGA group to shield them from protesters.
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Just spoke with a protestor who was tear-gassed but avoided arrest. He was pouring water onto his face/eyes. “It hurts really bad man.” Said the police response was disproportionate. Roughly a dozen people have been arrested so far.
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To be clear, this was not UVA’s lone justification. But it was an important piece as Longo deemed the situation unsafe. I’ll have a story tomorrow outlining what UVA says happened - and what faculty says didn’t - in the crucial hours that led to the controversial decision.
In UVA's justification to ultimately send in state police, it said Longo deemed the situation unsafe when he'd approached the protestors to remove tents. They blocked him from the tents and began chanting. He feared they'd surround him and he'd have to defend himself. VIDEO:
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Person who shot the video thinks Longo may have confused the faculty members and legal observers behind him for protestors. “That’s my assumption of what he means when he says he was encircled. Not that students encircled him but that there were people all around,” person said.
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UVA professor Geeta Patel, who walks with a cane, says the woman was merely trying to protect her from being pushed by police.
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McGuire and MTG are about to arrive. They’ll be greeted by a very anti MAGA crowd, with Dems greatly outnumbering Rs. The county has a dozen police officers here
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UVA tells me that this is “guidance” but not the official policy. “The document circulating around isn’t policy.” Tents are prohibited “regardless of the nature of their use.”. I’m told the doc was updated to reflect official policy and correct the “erroneous” guidance.
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UVA president Jim Ryan has released a statement. He writes that the protestors had complied with UVA policy until last night when they erected tents. Also says UVA learned that there were people at the protest not associated with the university.
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At a 5th District forum, Bob Good says Trump conviction was “collusion.”. “Make no mistake about it. This is election interference.”. Mixed reaction from a mixed crowd. One voter walks out. “I can’t listen to this…this is bullshit.”. Lots of yelling before order restored.
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Against the wishes of victims' families, the University of Virginia is still refusing to release a report detailing a 2022 on-campus shooting that killed three students. Legal experts don't understand why. "Are they hiding something?" .
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Throughout the week, admin communicated what would happen if protestors erected tents. Arrests were a real possibility, but there would be a series of steps beforehand. Those steps didn't happen. And at no point did admin mention state police. "Honestly, it felt like an ambush"
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@LarrySabato And that's before the DNC, when there will surely be a tribute to Biden and his number could increase even further. "Anything that makes him look good will make Harris look good," Sabato said.
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Here's UVA official policy: "All tents must be permitted by Environmental Health & Safety prior to being erected. Final approval is not granted until the tent has passed inspection by EHS.". The doc reads that it was last updated last year. "Guidance" was quietly updated this AM.
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24 people were taken to jail on Saturday, not 25. Two had court hearings this morning:.-A student charged with trespassing. -A non-student charged with riot/unlawful assembly and assaulting a law enforcement officer. The latter is facing the most serious charges of the group.
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"The group clustered tightly around the space that I was approaching. And my immediate fear was that they would encircle myself. and so I stepped back.". "I was afraid that at the time. that we would be put in a position to have to defend ourselves.".
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McGuire declared victory just before midnight: “it’s clear that all paths end with a victory.”. But there are still provisional and mail-in ballots to be counted as McGuire leads by ~300 votes. Comments on this VPAP post show baseless claims of a rigged election have begun.
In other words, it’s likely we will be waiting until at least Friday for this race to be officially called.
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“I was in fear when that group surrounded that encampment, opened up the umbrellas, used words such as ‘fight’, ‘win,’ ‘nothing to lose,’ ‘at all costs.’”.
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Policy doc includes a link to the "guidance" which previously said recreational tents are exempt, contradicting the policy. UVA comms tell me they believe it wasn't until this morning they noticed the guidance "was not outdated, just wrong." . "There was no change to the policy.".
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After the vote failed two weeks ago, Charlottesville City Council again took up a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. This time it passed. The pivotal vote came from Brian Pinkston, who said it’s important to change your mind “if you tend to believe you made a mistake.”
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Today the Charlottesville school board is voting on whether to bring police back into schools. The "youth resource officer" model originates from Cambridge, MA. In April, one of those Cambridge YRO's accidentally discharged his firearm in a school bathroom.
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An Israeli UVA student is suing the school claiming he's been the victim of antisemitism. The lengthy lawsuit makes many allegations. i.e. Pro-Palestine student groups are "sleeper cells" with student "foot soldiers" taking orders directly from Hamas.
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@LarrySabato "People were relieved [LBJ] was leaving but they also appreciated the sacrifice he made because everyone knew how much he loved being in the White House and having that power. I would expect Biden's number to improve significantly.".
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And then there is Longo's claim that he was fearful when he approached the group to take down tents. They blocked him from the encampment, and he says he worried they'd surround him and he'd have to defend himself. Video and witnesses raise questions about his account.
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They determined the meeting wouldn’t yield any results. “If he’s willing to lie in front of 3,000 people in a town hall, he’d be willing to lie in a closed-door meeting with 5 students.”. Ryan was met by students w/ hands painted red. They read a statement, chanting as he left.
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Bob Good says he has the money to pay for a recount. So why hasn't he filed for one?. He may still be scrambling to get enough $ to cover the cost by the Friday filing deadline. "I don't think he has the money to do it," one senior GOP aide said.
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Can confirm. No one in the city - where this was originally scheduled - knew about it before I asked on Monday. And when it was moved to Albemarle, no one in the county govt. knew about it either. County has been told this won't be a rally but a "campaign stop". Story soon.
Hearing that the Albemarle registrars office was never contacted about the McGuire rally at the County Office Building and that it’s certainly not permitted due to it being at a voting location. @CBS19News @DailyProgress I’d imagine the County or Albemarle GOP could speak on that.
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The university says 4 men dressed in black and wearing helmets entered the encampment Friday night. Law enforcement recognized them from other "historical events" that resulted in violence. We still don't have details on the 4. No one I spoke to knew who UVA was referring to.
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No one I spoke to recalls police being swung at or struck by protestors. Multiple people told me it appeared it was police who were the aggressors.
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Here’s a video of the woman who was arrested and charged with assault. She’s wearing green pants, enters the left side of the frame and can be seen talking to a UVA professor. Police say she pushed back against an officer before punching him.
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It asks where Jim Ryan and provost Baucom were, "when our students, faculty, and staff were shoved, beaten, and pepper-sprayed and pushed off grounds at their own university? A belated email replete with platitudes, half-truths, and evasions does not meet the moment.". sheesh.
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UVA identified four people dressed in black as security threats. Said they "had been engaged in organized work in the past around historical events that have occurred here that resulted in violence.” Didn't specify. Witness asks why those four couldn't be individually removed.
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“We understand students are scared and tired from yesterday’s police violence,” an organizer told me. But he hopes students will show up anyway for a 2pm rally at the memorial for enslaved laborers. “We believe in free speech and that’s not what we saw yesterday.”.
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The remaining 6 will be back in court on July 16 and will have a decision to make: accept a plea deal or go to trial. This way they can see what evidence prosecution has. “Some people felt they want to be exonerated and show UVa has no basis to do this in the first place.”
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Airbnb is breaking Virginia law, tax authorities say. It appears to be doing so with impunity, effectively daring localities to sue them. It'd be a process most can't afford, and Airbnb knows it. "Of course they're counting on that," an expert said.
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@samsanders When we were 12 my friend asked if I wanted some cookie dough. I did. He brought out an entire tube and CUT IT IN HALF, one for him and one for me. This kid was regularly facing a pound of cookie dough as a casual snack and I’ve never gotten over it.
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I'll have more on this later, but people are telling me that there had been discussions with administration in advance about what would happen if protestors didn't take the tents down. What they were told is not what happened.
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Albemarle County Commonwealth's Attorney Jim Hingeley did not seek jail time for anyone charged with trespassing. That aligns with his long-standing policy not to incarcerate people who are facing a trespassing charge for the first time.
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UVA now says it won’t release it until the end of the criminal trial. But that could be years from now. Attorneys don’t buy UVA’s reasoning: that the report would impact the criminal trial of gunman Christopher Jones. “I have never seen this reason be given before. Never.”
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The other 26 individuals were charged with trespassing. Of those, 5 have had their case wrapped up. 15 will have to be on good behavior for 90 days, then pay a court fee and have their case dropped.
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UVA Police Chief Tim Longo said his "intelligence sources on the ground" identified the men. We still don't really know what that means. But despite the Friday night arrival of the allegedly dangerous men, it seems he never expressed concern to any of the encampment liaisons.
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Ryan claims that university police’s efforts to remedy the issue “were met with physical confrontation and attempted assault,” and therefore it became necessary to rely on state police.
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UVA says its new protest policies make it easier to exercise 1A rights while preventing disruption to the "daily lives" of others. And it denies the approval process was meant to limit dissent. Critics disagree, suggesting decision was political.
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"We have no doubt that history will also condemn the disproportionate, draconian, and excessive use of force against non-violent protesters exercising their free speech rights on an academic campus founded by the author of the Declaration of Independence.".
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UVA says 25 people have been arrested for trespassing and taken to Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail. It has not yet determined how many of those individuals are associated with the university.
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High profile people keep leaving Monticello. Few know why, as even some board members have been left in the dark. What explains the rampant turnover?. "There’s something going on. It just doesn’t feel right,” a board member said.
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“Early this morning, Chief of Police Tim Longo offered a final warning to the protesters, reminding them once again of their University policy violations and pleading for a peaceful resolution,” Ryan wrote. “That request was ignored.”.
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Shortly after the tragedy, Virginia AG Jason Miyares hired a law firm to produce a report on the shooting and the events that preceded it. A redacted version was to be released to the public. UVA agreed. But a month after UVA received the report, it changed its mind.
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Trump doubling down, leaving no room for doubt. "Your campaign is producing yard signs purporting to indicate President Trump’s endorsement of your candidacy. You know this is false. In fact, President Trump has endorsed your opponent.". 'Keep my name out your mouth' energy.
NEW — Trump campaign sent a cease and desist letter to Bob Good’s campaign asking him to stop displaying and producing campaign materials that look like Trump supports him. Trump endorsed Good’s primary challenger John McGuire this week.
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Ryan said there was no confusion over whether tents were allowed b/c group had been repeatedly warned. Conceded someone on team updated UVA tent document Saturday AM: “I’m not sure this was the right judgement.”. Liaison at encampment says there was sincere confusion re: tents
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UVA says there has been no ambiguity about the policy. "This has ben communicated to them dozens of times over past few days." . Say Chief Longo and student affairs have both communicated it to protestors. "In any interaction with folks down there this has come up.".
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Police are clearing space, having observers vacate the area. Might be a sign they’re preparing to move in on the encampment.
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Congrats to this powerhouse journalist!! A queen👑 .Do yourself a favor and follow Zeba's coverage.
WE WON THE @PeabodyAwards for our coverage of the ongoing war. Incredibly proud to be a part of this stellar, mighty team and our journalism.With @Leila_MA @mtill50 @sarajust @IAmAmnaNawaz @nickschifrin @GeoffRBennett @DanSagalyn Shams @teresa_cebrian_ @Framework_Media & so many!
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Some personal news: Yesterday it rained and for one of the first times in my life I was actually prepared with an umbrella. Also. after six years, today is my last at USA TODAY. I'm excited to say I start a new gig at CNBC next week.
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Protestors set fire to a police van by Fort Greene Park and FDNY put it out shortly after. Hundreds marched through here tonight chanting George Floyd’s name
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After days of peace and quiet, things are quickly escalating at the UVA pro-Palestine encampment. Protestors pitched tents last night, violating an agreement they had with the university. Police have lined the encampment, separating it from a big crowd of surrounding observers.
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For clarity on tents being a violation. Regardless of official policy, UVA police chief Tim Longo had reached an agreement with protesters days ago: if there are no tents and no megaphones, we’ll leave you alone.
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This time it's the UVA chapter of the American Association of University Professors. "We further dispute that such violations – if indeed there were any – were anywhere close to sufficient to justify the extraordinary and unprecedented use of force we witnessed on Saturday.".
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Another step in my quest to solely create dog content. Story, stills, and video by yours truly.
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UVA points to fact that the tents were briefly up days ago, then taken down. Protestors, "put up the tents then took them down because they were made aware [tents] were outside of our policy. Then they made the decision to violate that policy.".
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My mom had a dream she saw her late father at the airport w/ a woman she didn't recognize. She then made the mistake of telling my 87 y/o grandmother, who is now pissed at her dead husband for CHEATING ON HER IN THE AFTERLIFE and has vowed revenge. Marriage is forever y'all.
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