The Alameda County District Attorney’s office formally rejected felony vandalism charges against four current and former UC Berkeley students who were arrested while attempting to hang a giant cardboard mosquito from Sather Gate.
The District Attorney’s office confirmed Friday that all charges were rejected Dec. 29.
The students were arrested in the early morning hours of Nov. 10, 2025 while protesting the controversial Turning Point USA event on campus. They were charged with felony vandalism and booked in Santa Rita County Jail.
While the criminal charges have been dropped, the three students who are currently enrolled are facing disciplinary proceedings from campus, according to the fourth involved student, Inigo Macey, who graduated last spring prior to the incident.
“Our experience fits into a pattern of intense repression against students and community members exercising free speech in ways universities find politically inconvenient, especially under the Trump administration,” according to a statement provided by the students.
Campus spokesperson Dan Mogulof declined to comment regarding students, citing federal privacy laws.
The bail was set at $20,000 for three of the students and at $10,000 for the other. All four individuals posted bail the day they were arrested.
In addition to hanging up a cardboard mosquito that one of the students had made for a campus sculpture class, the four students also pasted flyers on Sather Gate with inflammatory quotes from Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk. They also wrote in chalk under the gate, “Trans rights! You can erase our chalk but you can’t erase us.”
In California, felony vandalism denotes damage or defacement of property exceeding $400 in costs. A cost report from UC Berkeley Facility Services reviewed by The Daily Californian seems to show $1,644.50 in labor costs to remove the installation. The original police report, also obtained by the Daily Cal, estimated $1,000 in damages.
“Our experiences, especially being arrested and going to jail, were dehumanizing and disproportionate to our alleged actions,” Macey said via Signal.
While the students do not face criminal charges, they may still face discipline from campus.
That discipline would come through the Center for Student Conduct, which is responsible for the adjudication of alleged violations of campus’s Student Code of Conduct.
The three currently-enrolled students received an Alleged Violation Letter on Nov. 25, 2025 from Center for Student Conduct Interim Co-Director Michael Mann, according to two of the students.
One of the letters, of which the Daily Cal obtained a copy, alleges violations of codes 102.04 and 102.13, which denotes damage to campus property and obstruction of campus activities, respectively.
The letter clarifies that suspension and dismissal will not result from this case. However, if they are found to have violated the Code of Conduct, the students could be required to pay back damages, be placed on disciplinary probation and be required to complete a “reflective activity.”
According to one of the current students, they have each scheduled online meetings with Mann on Feb. 4. Mann described the meeting in his letter as an opportunity to review information relevant to the case and work to “craft an outcome.”