Dropping Charges Against Columbia Protesters is “Wrong,” Says Janitor

They each were facing at least one charge of criminal trespass—a misdemeanor punishable by up to three months in jail and a $500 fine. After less than thirty minutes inside the courtroom, they were walking out scot-free.

One person baffled by the decision was Lester Wilson, one of the janitors inside Hamilton Hall that night, who previously told The Free Press he thought he “could have been killed in there.” He called the prosecutor’s decision to dismiss the cases “wrong.” 

“If they got dismissed and no charges were being brought, I feel it’s wrong, I feel it’s wrong, I feel it’s wrong,” he said. “Somebody should be charged. Somebody should be held accountable. I'm not saying jail time, but not dismissed. You should be found guilty.”