Campus Alert Archive
UT Austin

Horses, Riot Gear, and 57 Arrests: UT Austin's South Mall Becomes the Front Line of Campus Protest Crackdowns

TXcivil unrestadvisoryhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

On April 24, 2024, over 500 University of Texas at Austin students walked out of class and gathered on the South Mall to demand the university divest from companies tied to Israel. The university deployed state troopers in riot gear and mounted police to disperse the crowd, arresting 57 people after UTPD's 5:23 PM CDT dispersal order. The Travis County attorney dropped 46 of the 57 charges the following day and the remaining 11 on April 26, citing lack of probable cause.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
University of Texas at Austin
Public R1 · TX
~52,000 studentsLonghorn Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTPush
Approximate reconstruction165 chars
UT SAFETY ALERT: Large demonstration underway on the South Mall. Increased law enforcement presence on campus. Please avoid the South Mall area until further notice.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from news reports describing the university's communications during the protest
The university had provided notice the day before that the planned event could not proceed as organized
State troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety and Austin Police were deployed with riot gear and horses
UPDATEPush
Approximate reconstruction187 chars
UT SAFETY UPDATE: Law enforcement activity continues on the South Mall. 57 individuals have been detained. Please continue to avoid the area. Normal campus operations will resume shortly.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from multiple news sources covering the arrest numbers and university response
Those arrested included students, faculty, a photojournalist, and a legal observer
UTPD issued its formal dispersal order at approximately 5:23 PM CDT on April 24, 2024; arrests followed in the hours after, with the dispersal-order all-clear given around 9:00 PM CDT
Travis County Attorney Delia Garza's office dismissed 46 of the 57 cases on April 25, 2024; the remaining 11 were dismissed on April 26, 2024 — both batches citing lack of probable cause
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Verified verbatimPresident Jay Hartzell's letter to the UT Austin campus community, April 24, 2024765 chars
The protesters tried to deliver on their stated intent to occupy campus. People not affiliated with UT joined them, and many ignored University officials' continual pleas for restraint and to immediately disperse. The University did as we said we would do in the face of prohibited actions. We were prepared, with the necessary support to maintain campus operations and ensure the safety, well-being and learning environment for our more than 50,000 students. Peaceful protests within our rules are acceptable. Breaking our rules and policies and disrupting others' ability to learn are not allowed. The group that led this protest stated it was going to violate Institutional Rules. Our rules matter, and they will be enforced. Our University will not be occupied.
President Jay Hartzell sent this message to the UT Austin community the evening of April 24, 2024 — within hours of the arrests on the South Mall
The closing line 'Our University will not be occupied' became the most-cited phrase from any Texas public-university administrator during the spring 2024 protest wave
More than 600 UT faculty signed a no-confidence letter in Hartzell within days of this statement; Hartzell left UT in summer 2024 to lead Southern Methodist University
Context

Background

On April 24, 2024, the Palestinian Solidarity Committee at UT Austin organized a walkout and sit-in on the South Mall to protest the Israel-Hamas War and demand university divestment. The university had warned the day before that the event could not proceed as planned. When students gathered, state troopers, Austin Police, and mounted officers in riot gear moved to disperse the crowd, arresting 57 people on criminal trespass charges. The Travis County attorney dropped all charges within 24 hours, finding that law enforcement lacked probable cause. A second protest on April 29 saw 79 additional arrests after protesters set up tents on campus. Officers deployed pepper spray and stun grenades during the confrontation. The UT faculty subsequently held a no-confidence vote in university president Jay Hartzell. In May 2025, four students filed a federal lawsuit alleging their arrests violated their First and Fourth Amendment rights.
Analysis

Key Findings

All 57 charges from the first day of protests were dropped within 48 hours by the Travis County attorney citing lack of probable cause — 46 dismissed April 25, the remaining 11 dismissed April 26, 2024
The use of mounted police and riot gear against student protesters drew national attention and faculty backlash
A total of 136 arrests occurred across two days of protests at UT Austin in late April 2024
Outcome
All 57 criminal trespass charges from April 24 were dropped within 48 hours — 46 dismissed on April 25 and 11 more on April 26 — with the Travis County Attorney's office citing lack of probable cause. A second protest on April 29 led to 79 additional arrests after protesters set up tents and clashed with officers who used pepper spray and stun grenades. Multiple lawsuits were filed against the university alleging civil rights violations.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Source
    2024 University of Texas at Austin pro-Palestinian campus protests (Wikipedia)
    en.wikipedia.org
  2. Official
    Frequently Asked Questions About Recent Protests (UT Austin News, Office of the President)
    news.utexas.edu
  3. News
    Police arrest pro-Palestinian demonstrators at UT-Austin (Texas Tribune)
    texastribune.org
  4. News
    All pro-Palestinian demonstrators' UT-Austin cases dropped (Texas Tribune)
    texastribune.org
  5. News
    More pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrested at UT-Austin (Texas Tribune)
    texastribune.org
  6. News
    Police arrest multiple protesters during pro-Palestinian demonstration at UT Austin (KUT Radio)
    kut.org
Tags
civil-unrestprotestpro-palestinianmass-arrestriot-gearpepper-spraytexaspublic-universitycharges-dropped
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion