KRCR reporter detained while covering anti-war protests at California campus

ARCATA, Calif. — More than 30 pro-Palestinian protestors, students and non-students, were arrested early Tuesday morning following a massive, multi-agency sweep of California Polytechnic State University's (Cal Poly) Humboldt campus.

Protestors had been occupying Siemens Hall and Nelson Hall East for the last week, asking the university to divest from anything supporting Israel. When the operation began, on-campus residents were advised by university text and emails to shelter in place. Others were directed to stay away from campus, which was already under a hard closure.

At about 2:30 a.m., riot police made up of different agencies started making arrests while they cleared protestors from the buildings. One TV News Reporter for KRCR/KAEF, Adelmi Ruiz, was livestreaming, covering the story while it happened. She was eventually taken away by law enforcement with the protestors. To be clear, Ruiz was detained—not arrested—by California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) officers.

Ruiz described her experience with KRCR's Mike Mangas later that morning, saying she was just doing her job, recording the ongoing protests and arrests at the campus before she was asked away by officers. "They didn't care that I was a reporter," Ruiz told Mangas. "They just said, 'As long as you're on campus, we're able to detain you.'"

I did my live hit and then I brought my [camera] equipment back to my the car and then I got back on site and started walking around...I was told that raid police was coming so I went over to the quad, to the main area where people were protesting, and I started just recording. I went live on Facebook and I was recording everything and I was moving around, trying to get different angles, and I caught the attention of the first officers that were on scene. And then I was told to move to the side and then I was told to go with them. And then, they took off my backpack and they were saying that I was detained. And I was explaining to them that 'I'm news!' I was showing them my press badge, I was showing them my jacket. I was like, 'I'm here for the news,' 'I'm here to do my job.' And then, they basically told me that I shouldn't have been on campus at that time and that, because of that, they were taking us away. And so, then I got zip-tied, and I was taken to Humboldt County Sheriff's Office's vehicle area and that's when they were getting my information, they took my belongings, and then they put my in a transportation vehicle and then we went over to the Humboldt County Jail.

After CDCR officers brought Ruiz to the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office, she said Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal responded to the office and helped get her released.

"They took my mugshots...and then I just waited around. And then, Sheriff William Honsal ended up approaching me and he pulled me aside and then we talked a little bit about what happened and how I got in the middle of it. He apologized that I got caught in the middle of it and then he said that they're just going to process my stuff and then I would be free to go. And so, Sheriff Hansol took me back to Cal Poly Humboldt and then he got my belongings back from the other...sheriff's deputies, and then I was free to go," Ruiz said. "And then, I just got back to work."

RELATED: CPH Faculty Association releases statement condemning arrests and issues new demands

When asked how she was treated while covering the protests, from both protestors and law enforcement, Ruiz explained that, although tensions were high, everything was relatively "fine."

She said, "Many of the protestors were very friendly; they weren't' rude to me or anything...there were some people who were a little 'iffy' about me being on campus and recording everything. But, at the end of the day, I think the most aggressive officer towards me was the one who zip-tied me. He was the most aggressive. But, everybody else was really nice. I was complying with everything and I was listening to their orders, so...everything instead of the jail was fine."

I'm just thankful that the Humboldt County Sheriff's Department responded to my situation so quickly and they were able to get it resolved as soon as possible. So, I'm really thankful that that ended up not escalating and that I was able to get out safely," Ruiz said.

In response to the unrest, the university ordered a hard closure on campus through May 10. And although it was not local police, Humboldt County deputies, or campus police, arresting or detaining people, University Police Department Chief Peter Cress responded by saying the department is "...deeply grateful to the local and statewide agencies that lent support to our campus during this event. The support was critical in restoring an environment on campus where learning and work occur safely. UPD remains committed to a learning environment where everyone can be heard without breaking the law."

However, on Tuesday, the California Faculty Association in Humboldt released a statement condemning the arrest of students and faculty in response to the Solidarity with Palestine protest on campus.

RELATED: Anti-Israel protests intensify at college campuses across US

"The Cal Poly Humboldt Chapter of the California Faculty Association (CFA), a labor union that represents teaching, counseling, library, and coaching faculty of the California State University System, condemns last night’s actions of Cal Poly Humboldt (CPH) Administration as yet another dangerous escalation of their response to a peaceful campus demonstration," they wrote in their statement.

As of Wednesday, May 1, an organizer is working on bailing out the individuals who were arrested during the protests. We will have more on that in the coming days.

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