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Since June 2024, Muhammad Ali and Cole Florkewicz have been two of twenty-five defendants who were charged in relation to the Second University of Pittsburgh Encampment. Muhammad has been expelled from the University of Pittsburgh while Cole was initially fired from his job. Both face trial on May 19th of 2026.

It is obvious that both these individuals are victims of overcharging, with several felony and misdemeanor charges being tacked on to their cases. These two individuals are being made examples of in an attempt to curtail their participation in the Palestinian solidarity movement.

Over the course of the last two years, three Allegheny county judges have recused themselves from this case. Besides this odd scenario, neither defendant has been made a plea or ARD (alternative rehabilitative disposition) offer by the prosecution, despite neither having former criminal records.

The District Attorney in this case (Jimmy Sheets) has also been incredibly discriminatory towards Muhammad and his attorney, actively cursing in the courtroom, threatening to incarcerate Muhammad, and making a fool of himself at various hearings. He also has been seen wearing an Israeli flag pin to a hearing, clearly demonstrating this discriminatory attitude.

The alleged victim, Officer Brooke Riley of the University of Pittsburgh Police Department, claims that her pinky was sprained and that she was limping after the interaction, but there is video footage of her walking around during the date of the incident, and she did not take any time off of work due to any alleged injury. She has also stated that Muhammad, "...doesn't see her as a person," and has been a major part of why any offers have not been forwarded to either defendant.

We ask you to demand the University of Pittsburgh, the DA, and the University of Pittsburgh Police Department to drop the charges against these protestors so they can resume their lives in peace.

You can read about Muhammad and Cole's cases here: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/palestine-protest-muslim-student-prosecution-pittsburgh