At Texas Tech University, 18-year-old student Camryn Giselle Booker was arrested during a heated exchange at a campus vigil for Charlie Kirk. Video shows her mocking Kirk’s death with the words “yo homie dead” and later knocking the brim of a man’s hat. For this, she was charged with simple assault, a Class C misdemeanor that almost never results in jail time. Yet she was booked into the Lubbock County jail overnight, released only after paying a $200 bond, and is now “no longer enrolled” at Texas Tech.

Governor Greg Abbott seized on the incident, sharing images of her in handcuffs and celebrating the arrest on social media. Free speech advocates, including the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), warn that Abbott’s rhetoric conflates offensive but protected speech with criminal conduct. This kind of political pressure risks creating a chilling effect on all Texas students who might fear being jailed or expelled simply for expressing views that powerful people dislike.

Make no mistake: mocking the death of anyone is cruel. But cruelty is not a crime. And brushing the brim of a hat is not violence that warrants jail, expulsion, and a public shaming campaign by the governor of the state. The punishment is far out of proportion to the act.

Students deserve fair treatment, not political retaliation. If Texas leaders can silence one student this way, what stops them from silencing others — whether liberal, conservative, or independent — whenever speech offends those in power?

We call on Texas Tech University President Lawrence Schovanec, the Texas Tech Board of Regents, and Governor Greg Abbott to ensure that disciplinary actions are transparent, proportionate, and free from political interference. Texas Tech must reaffirm its commitment to protecting student rights, even when speech is unpopular or offensive.

Justice means holding students accountable without destroying their futures. No one should lose their education or freedom over words and a minor exchange at a vigil.

Sign this petition to demand justice for Camryn Booker and to defend free expression for all Texas students.