'They knew that they used excessive force': Student activist served search warrant

Friday morning, as UNC student and activist  Laura Saavedra was taking a shower in her dorm, she said she heard a knock on her door. When she asked who it was, she was told it was the police, with a search warrant.

Three UNC Police officers told Saavedra they had a search warrant for her phone, which was to be seized in relation to the Students for Justice in Palestine walkout on Sept. 19, where protesters vandalized numerous University buildings with spray paint. 

Saavedra, who uses a wheelchair, said the cops got "very very physical" with her when she started to turn the phone off, pulling at her arms and reaching for the phone.

In a statement to The DTH from Media Relations, UNC Police Chief Brian James wrote that two UNC Police investigators and a uniformed officer served a student with a search warrant on the morning of Sept. 27.

"While the officers were speaking with them, the student attempted to turn off the phone which would have made evidence nearly impossible to obtain," the statement read. "One officer reached for the phone to prevent the destruction of evidence, a struggle ensued and the student fell down."

The statement also said the officers immediately helped Saavedra up when she was knocked over, although she says she had to do it mostly by herself.

"Being alone in that moment and it being three men who were armed versus me, [them] using excessive force out of nowhere was definitely just another traumatic interaction with the police," she said. "And to know that these are the people that 'keep us safe,' is probably the most terrifying thought of it all."

James wrote that the search warrant was part of the ongoing investigation for the significant damage done to University property on Sept. 19. At least 10 University buildings were vandalized.. 

"UNC Police is collecting evidence from anyone connected to the criminal acts and will hold those who committed these acts accountable," his statement said. 

The search warrant

The warrant states that Saavedra was observed guiding and directing protesters to different locations during the Sept. 19 protest, when they entered class buildings to chant, distribute flyers, and in some cases, spray paint walls and signs with various messages such as "Fuck UNC" and "Free Gaza." The warrant also includes pictures of Saavedra outside the UNC NROTC Armory holding her phone, appearing to be filming or taking pictures. 

The warrant includes access to Saavedra's photos and videos, communications and internet browsing history. 

Unlike in the search warrant obtained by UNC Police on May 15 — after demonstrators put paint on South Building during SJP's "People's Graduation" — there were no time restrictions on when searchable information could come from. Raleigh attorney Trevor Guyton said the lack of temporal restriction was unusual.

"They should be restricting it to roughly 72 hours before and maybe after the incident," he said. "Because this all circles around privacy and probable cause, and when you start getting further from the date of the offense, from the date of vandalism, it starts to evaporate."

UNC Media Relations did not respond to request for comment about the time restrictions on the warrant.

Saavedra said officers told her she might not get her phone back for up to two months. 

After giving her the warrant and taking her phone, the officers gave Saavedra a citation for resisting, obstructing or delaying an officer, which is a class 2 misdemeanor in the state of North Carolina. The statement from James confirmed Saavedra was issued a citation for "attempting to destroy the evidence."

A representative from UNC Students for Justice in Palestine said serving Saavedra with a warrant was an example of the University targeting recognizable and vocal students. 

"It's an effort to intimidate and silence students," they said. "They're going to keep doing it, but at the end of the day, we're there, they're not going to be able to silence us."

The same representative said SJP did not plan the graffiti, and that it was an autonomous action.

Use of force

When the police originally knocked on her door, Saavedra texted her friends, one of which was a fellow UNC student, Catherine Scott. Scott went right to Saavedra's apartment, and when she got there, the officers were still by her door. She said seeing Saavedra with the officers immediately brought her back to April 30, when UNC Police Captain Rahsheem Holland pushed a barricade onto Saavedra as he joined other officers in trying to put the U.S. flag back up at Polk Place.

"Once the officers left, and she shared with me that they had done it again, I was just infuriated," Scott said. "I don't know how that happens once, let alone twice. I think it indicates that this is a violent system that is not only failing to protect students, but actively perpetrating violence against them."

Though Saavedra said she was mostly physically okay after the encounter, her arm, shoulder and neck are still sore. In his statement, James said the officers offered several times to call EMS for the student served, but that the offers were declined. 

"They knew that they used excessive force, or else they wouldn't have asked if I needed EMS or if I was injured," Saavedra said. "The fact that that was part of the interaction shows they were aware of what they had just done to me." 

Media Relations said they have no further comments to make on the incident at this time. 

In a written statement, Student Body President Jaleah Taylor said the violent actions of UNC officers was unacceptable.

"Forcing a disabled student out of her wheelchair is appalling and should never happen on our campus," she wrote. "UNC claims to value the protection and fair treatment of all students, and we should hold ourselves accountable to that standard. Our police need better training to ensure the safety and dignity of disabled students."

Saavedra said the interaction worsened her fear of the police, and her not feeling protected on campus.  

"I'm worried about my friend," said Scott. "But Laura is strong, I think she's thinking more about the people that she fights for than herself, even now."

@_aishabee_

@dailytarheel | university@dailytarheel

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