Former Ball State University student Grace Mitchell said she's unsure if she regrets her actions prior to a speech by conservative David Horowitz on Wednesday night, but that it might have been childish and stupid.
"The motivation certainly wasn't malicious," she said. "It definitely didn't come across the way we intended."
Mitchell and Ball State junior Cassandra Reed were arrested after Reed attempted to throw a cream pie at Horowitz on Wednesday and the two resisted arrest, according to police reports.
Reed posted bond Thursday after two counts of battery against a police officer were dropped. Originally she was arrested on suspicion of three charges of battery against a police officer and one count of resisting law enforcement. On Thursday, two of the battery charges were dropped, decreasing her bail from $17,500 to $7,500.
Mitchell, who was charged with one count of resisting law enforcement, posted her $2,500 bail late Wednesday night.
Friends of Reed and Mitchell raised money to get the women out of jail, Mitchell said. She said they are not part of an official group, but rather "activists around Indiana with similar political and moral convictions." She declined to say how the group meets.
Mitchell and Reed were arrested by Ball State police officers assigned to special security detail of Horowitz, according to police reports. In 2005, Horowitz was also hit with a pie at Butler University, and later at Purdue University a streaker interrupted his speech.
Reed ran through a set of doors in Teachers College and threw a pie towards Horowitz, but it instead hit Director of Public Safety Gene Burton and two other officers, according to police reports. Reed was arrested, but an officer had to use force to get her to the ground after she refused, according to police reports.
Mitchell was arrested after she started to run from the scene, according to police reports. She said the officers were dressed in plain clothes and not clearly identifiable.
"I wish they would have identified themselves better," Mitchell said.
Mitchell said she and Reed were acting as individuals, not as part of a group. When he began his speech Horowitz said he was attacked by a hate group.
"We're not a hate group," Mitchell said. "We're just concerned and frustrated citizens."
Horowitz was on campus to speak about intellectual freedom and professors having political agendas in the classroom. The speech was sponsored by College Republicans, Student Government Association and Young America's Foundation.
He has written "The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America," a book about professors teaching students what to think instead of how to think. One of the professors identified in the book is George Wolfe, professor of music performance and director of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at Ball State. Wolfe said the accusations in the book are unfounded.
"I expected that there would be protests," Kyle Ellis, president of College Republicans said, "but I expected that those who had opposition with David would protest in a more peaceful manner."
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