Yale and Harvard Students Sentenced To Community Service After Climate Change Protest

After a climate change protest that took place last month between Havard and Yale Universities during the Ivy League school football games, students have been sentenced to community service.

The act took place midfield of the Yale Bowl during the halftime show. Participants that consisted of students as well as alumni, held banners that suggested their colleges take a stand and act on climate change. There were other signs that referred to Puerto Rican debt relief as well as China’s treatment of Uighurs.

New Haven Superior Court Judge Phillip Scarpellino ordered the 50 students who were arrested for disorderly conduct charges during the Nov. 23 game to community service. The students are to do 5 hours of community service and return to court ‪on Jan. 27.‬

If the students abide by these rules and conditions are met the judge has agreed to drop all charges.

A lot of people participated in a climate change protest on the courthouse steps following their encounter with the judge.

Senior at Harvard Caleb Schwartz spoke with the Hartford Courant outside of the courthouse stating, “The whole protest was based on the idea that we are in a climate crisis. We chose the game to make a high-profile statement,” he said.

Attorney for the students, Hugh Keefe, respected the students’ decision stating, “They are trying to help the world avoid a catastrophe. They sense to some degree it’s too late, but they want to do something dramatic to save the planet.”

Nora Heaphy, a student with the Yale Endowment Just Coalition spoke with the New Haven Register and said, “I am really scared about what climate change means for my future. We have tried every other opportunity to make our voices heard, and we knew this was an incredible opportunity and a moment we needed to seize.”

Follow the game the Ivy League said that the protest was “regrettable.”