Two UF students’ academic futures could be in jeopardy after they were arrested at an abortion rights protest March 10.
Bryn Taylor, the 26-year-old co-president of Graduate Assistants United, and Ian Dinkla, 21, face felonies after both allegedly struck an officer and Dinkla stole a pro-abortion sign, according to police officer accounts in arrest reports.
The pair is now trespassed from campus, meaning they aren’t allowed to enter any UF properties for the next three years.
UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan didn’t respond to clarifying questions in time for publication about how the ban would affect their educational endeavors going forward.
Taylor was charged with two felonies — aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence — and an additional misdemeanor of resisting law enforcement without violence.
Dinkla was also charged with two felonies: robbery by sudden snatching and resisting an officer with violence.
The two were participating in a UF Rally for Body Autonomy organized by the university’s Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter, in which around 20 people protested in Turlington Plaza.
The rally coincided with days of tabling by Created Equal, a multi-state anti-abortion group with over $1.7 million in total revenue according to 2019 financial forms. The group set up 4-foot-tall signs depicting unborn fetuses.
Dinkla stole one of the signs, valued at $120, according to the arrest report. When Detective Joshua Tarafa tried to arrest him, Dinkla allegedly shoved him away.
Taylor was also arrested after officers allege she hit Tarafa in the back of the head with a bullhorn and punched him in the face while trying to detain her.
Video footage obtained by The Alligator didn’t show strikes against the officer but did show Taylor shoving an officer after Dinkla’s arrest.
Dinkla and Taylor were released from Alachua County Jail March 11 without having to pay bail on recognizance.
Florida Prisoner Solidarity, a community activist group focused on prison abolition, posted on Instagram March 10 in an effort to raise funds for the pair’s bail money. Leaders for the group declined to share how much money was raised in total or comment about their fundraising efforts. Dinkla is represented by Yolanda Means, a Meldon Law associate. Means has defended similar community interest cases, including Terrell Bradley’s arrest after K-9s mauled him.
Taylor is still assigned to a state attorney, according to the Alachua County Clerk of Courts docket, as of Sunday afternoon.
While their lawyers were unable to be reached for contact, images obtained by The Alligator show bruises on Dinkla’s elbow he alleges came from force Tarafa used on him.
Dinkla pleaded not guilty to all charges March 16; Taylor has yet to make a plea as of Sunday morning.
Their next trial dates aren’t yet scheduled as of Sunday morning.
Contact Aidan Bush at abush@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @aidandisto.
Aidan Bush is a third-year journalism major and the Spring 2024 Engagement Managing Editor of The Alligator. In his free time, he likes to listen to music and go kayaking.
