A Cal State Channel Islands professor said he is feeling a sense of righteous indignation after a federal jury acquitted him Thursday of charges that he hurled a tear gas canister at Border Patrol agents last summer during a protest against a sweeping immigration raid at a Southern California cannabis farm.
A federal jury in downtown Los Angeles found Jonathan Caravello, 38, a U.S. citizen and lecturer in CSUCIs math and philosophy department, not guilty of one count of assault on a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, according to prosecutors.
Caravello said he declined a plea deal early in the process.
I knew I didnt assault anyone and wasnt going to take a plea, he said. He added that his position as a professor, white male, and access to a strong legal defense team made him feel it was his responsibility to fight the charges.
I thought it was my responsibility to take this to trial no matter how long it would take or the consequences, he said. If I had ended up in prison, I wouldnt have regretted taking this to trial.
Caravellos attorney, Knut Johnson of Singleton Schreiber, said his client had acted to protect those around him, not harm federal agents. John cleared a tear gas canister away from everyone, Johnson said, pushing back on the governments account and adding that tear gas had been deployed indiscriminately by law enforcement.
He said the prosecution never should have made it to trial.
A law firm as powerful as the United States Department of Justice should never use their might to prosecute cases like this, Johnson said. Going through nine months of accusations to a trial is incredibly stressful and will take years off your life, and John shouldnt have gone through that.
The California Faculty Association , the union representing Cal State faculty, celebrated the verdict in a statement posted to social media, saying Caravello had been cleared of any wrongdoing and that the decision affirmed his right to protest.
The beatings, the surveillance, and the trauma that John and others across the state and nation have had to endure cannot be ignored, the union wrote.
Cal State Channel Islands said Caravellos employment status has not changed and that he remained employed throughout the proceedings, according to the university.
The University is aware of the jurys decision in the case involving Dr. Jonathan Caravello, and we respect the outcome of the legal process, the university said in a statement. We recognize this has been a complex and, at times, difficult situation for members of our campus community.
Caravello was swept up in a sprawling federal prosecution stemming from a July 10 protest at Glass House Farms grow site in Camarillo, where federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Border Patrol executed a high-risk search warrant at a marijuana farm on a 160-acre property, according to prosecutors.
The protest erupted after federal agents conducted simultaneous immigration raids at the companys Camarillo and Carpinteria locations, arresting more than 300 workers without documentation.
Prosecutors alleged that as agents deployed tear gas to disperse the crowd, Caravello ran toward a canister, attempted to kick it, and after it rolled past him, picked it up and threw it overhand back at Border Patrol officers, according to court documents. Prosecutors also said he left the scene, changed his shirt and shoes, and returned two hours later, at which point agents recognized him and moved to detain him.
Caravello allegedly resisted arrest by continuously kicking his legs and refusing to give agents his arms, according to prosecutors.
Caravello stood by his actions that day but advised others to be deliberate.
I was acquitted for clearing away a tear gas canister, throwing it well over the heads of agents, and I believe that this is something we should be able to do at protests, Caravello said. I dont want people to do these things indiscriminately without tact, and the more the state realizes that people arent going to back down, the less likely they are to oppress us.
The case took several turns before reaching trial. Prosecutors initially charged Caravello with a felony, then downgraded the charge to a misdemeanor. In August, he pleaded not guilty and told the Ventura County Star that everything he does at protests is to protect people. A federal grand jury later reinstated the felony charge.
The California Faculty Association said the verdict, while welcome, could not undo the harm Caravello endured, adding that its members would continue working to protect immigrant communities.
We outnumber them, we have more love than them, and I have no doubt in my mind that people are willing and able to keep each other safe, Caravello said.
加州州立海峡群岛大学一名教授表示，在联邦陪审团于周四宣判其无罪后，他感到一种'义愤'。该教授被指控去年夏天在南加州一处大麻农场反对大规模移民突袭行动的抗议中，向边境巡逻队人员投掷了催泪瓦斯罐。
据检方透露，洛杉矶市中心联邦陪审团裁定，38岁的美国公民、加州州立大学海峡群岛分校数学与哲学系讲师乔纳森·卡拉韦洛（Jonathan Caravello）"使用致命或危险武器袭击联邦官员"罪名不成立。该罪名若成立最高可判处20年联邦监禁。
卡拉韦洛表示，他在诉讼程序初期拒绝了认罪协议。
"我清楚自己并未侵犯任何人，也绝不会认罪，"他说道。他补充称，自己身为教授和白人男性的身份，加上能获得强大辩护律师团队的支持，让他认为有责任对这些指控进行抗争。
“我认为无论耗时多久或后果如何，将此事诉诸法庭都是我的责任，”他说。“即使最终入狱，我也不会后悔做出这个决定。”
卡拉韦洛的代理律师、辛格尔顿·施赖伯律师事务所的克努特·约翰逊表示，其当事人的行为是为了保护周围人群，而非伤害联邦探员。约翰逊反驳政府说法时称：“约翰将催泪瓦斯罐从人群中移开”，并指出执法人员当时无差别地使用了催泪瓦斯。
他表示，检方本不该将此案诉至庭审阶段。
约翰逊表示："像美国司法部这样强大的法律机构，绝不应滥用权力起诉此类案件。" "历经九个月的指控直至审判，这一过程令人极度压抑，足以折损寿命，而约翰本不该承受这一切。"
代表加州州立大学教职员工的工会组织——加州教师协会在社交媒体上发布声明庆祝这一裁决，称卡拉韦洛（Caravello）的不当行为指控已被撤销，该决定确认了他抗议的权利。
工会写道："约翰以及全州乃至全国其他人所遭受的殴打、监视和精神创伤不容忽视。"
加州州立海峡群岛大学表示，根据校方声明，卡拉韦洛（Caravello）的雇佣状态未发生变动，在整个诉讼过程中他始终在岗。
校方在一份声明中表示：“我们已获悉陪审团对乔纳森·卡拉韦洛博士一案的裁决结果，并尊重司法程序的最终决定。”声明同时指出：“我们深知这一事件对校园共同体成员而言始终是复杂且充满挑战的处境。”
据检方称，卡拉韦洛卷入了一场大规模联邦诉讼，该诉讼源于7月10日在卡马里洛市玻璃屋农场种植基地的抗议活动。当时，国土安全调查局和美国边境巡逻队的联邦探员在这片160英亩的土地上对一处大麻农场执行了高风险搜查令。
这场抗议活动爆发前，联邦探员同时对该公司位于卡马里奥和卡平特里亚的场所展开移民突查，逮捕了300多名无合法证件的工人。
根据法庭文件显示，检方指控称：当执法人员使用催泪瓦斯驱散人群时，卡拉韦洛（Caravello）冲向一枚催泪弹罐，试图踢开它，在罐体滚过他身旁后又将其捡起，并反手掷回边境巡逻队警员方向。检方还指出，他随后离开现场更换了衣鞋，两小时后返回时被执法人员认出并实施拘捕。
据检方称，卡拉韦洛（Caravello）被捕时涉嫌拒捕，持续踢腿并拒绝将手臂交给执法人员。
卡拉韦洛坚持认为当天的行为无可厚非，但也建议他人行事需谨慎。
卡拉韦洛（Caravello）表示："我曾因清除催泪瓦斯罐并将其扔过警员头顶而无罪释放，我认为在抗议活动中我们应当有权这样做。" "我不希望人们不加区分、毫无策略地采取此类行动。国家越意识到民众不会退缩，就越不可能压迫我们。"
该案在进入审判阶段前几经波折。检方最初以重罪指控卡拉韦洛（Caravello），随后又将指控降级为轻罪。八月，他提出无罪抗辩，并向《文图拉县星报》表示自己在抗议活动中的一切行为都是“为了保护民众”。联邦大陪审团此后恢复了重罪指控。
加州教师协会表示，尽管这一判决值得欢迎，但无法弥补卡拉韦洛所遭受的伤害，并补充称其成员将继续致力于保护移民社区。
卡拉韦洛表示：“我们人数比他们多，我们拥有更多的爱心，而且我毫不怀疑人们愿意并且能够彼此守护安全。”
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