WORCESTER, MASS. (WHDH) - The president of Clark University addressed the arrest of five students during a violent protest in Worcester after an independent investigation uncovered alarming details about how they were treated. Now, they are speaking out.
A few dozen protesters and the Worcester Police Tactical Unit clashed near Clark University late into the night on June 1.
The melee followed a peaceful march throughout the city earlier in the day where hundreds protested the killing of George Floyd.
Student Jay Verchin said he and four other classmates just came out to watch and record video as protesters threw objects at police and police fired back with flashbangs and pepper spray.
“I was running and screaming, ‘I’m going home, I’m going home. I live right here,” Verchin recalled. “I’m crying at this point. I get tackled.”
But then the police started arresting people, including the students and that is when things got violent.
“He knelt on my back as he handcuffed me, student Sara Drapeau said. “I have asthma and bronchospasms and my lungs aren’t always the best especially with someone kneeling on them.”
Drapeau said the officers swore at her and called her derogatory names.
Clark University officials expressed anger over the arrest of the students and said they will no longer use officers from the Worcester Police Department at events.
The university conducted an independent review of the incident and concluded that none of the students acted violently.
Today Worcester Police responded to the independent review, saying:
“This report accurately paints a picture of the behavior by some protesters that led to 19 arrests by Worcester Police much later in the evening after the rally. We are conducting our own investigation into the night of June 1, and are looking into allegations made by some students regarding actions taken by police during their arrests.
An attorney representing the students is currently fighting to get the charges dropped. He says several videos show they should not have been arrested.
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