Arizona Bans Encampments at Public Colleges

Building encampments on public college campuses is now against the law in Arizona after Democratic governor Katie Hobbs signed the bill last week, the Arizona Daily Sun reported.

Under the bill, which had bipartisan support, college administrators are required to break up any encampment and force the students to vacate campus. Those who don’t comply will face disciplinary proceedings. Additionally, individuals who establish an encampment will be held liable for any damages or costs, including those related to repairing “any destruction, defacement or alteration of the university’s or community college’s property.”

“The purpose of this legislation is to reinforce and strengthen existing policies, ensuring our universities and community colleges have tools available to ensure all students can learn and thrive safely, while protecting the ability for every student to engage in free speech,” a Hobbs spokesman said.

Some lawmakers did criticize the bill as unnecessary and worried that it would chill free speech.

“As an activist at heart, this is not a good bill for those of us who are activists and do go out and protests,” said state Rep. Anna Abeytia, a Democrat. “… Encampments are a form of sit-ins. And sit-ins have a long history, particularly in the Chicano culture.”