Almost five months after Khadijah White’s arrest, the District Attorney dropped all charges at yesterday’s court hearing.
On March 15, the graduate student was charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and harassment while she protested a proposal that would require organizations to obtain permits in order to distribute food to the public.
White’s arrest prevented her from accepting an award from the Women of Color at Penn conference the next day and left her with a broken finger after contact with a police officer.
The prosecutor decided to withdraw the case since there was no evidence, according to White.
“This has been a stressful experience — I missed the chance to celebrate the WOC award, my finger is still healing from the fracture caused by the police officers’ actions, my work has suffered because the case has taken up so much of my attention, and I’m still struggling with the medical bills,” White wrote in an email. “But, I’m so glad to move on.”
The mayor’s ban on feeding the homeless along Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which took effect June 1, was blocked by District Judge William H. Yohn Jr. last Friday.
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