Casey Goonan, the 34-year-old self-described "scholar-activist" who was arrested last month in connection with a series of small arson fires on the UC Berkeley campus that appeared to be Gaza-related acts of protest, has now been indicted by a federal grand jury.
Goonan, who we are now learning uses they/them pronouns, is in some serious hot water following a series of arsons and attempted arsons in June. The Berkeley Scanner has kept on top of the story, and now reports on the federal indictment, in which Goonan is charged with a June 1 firebombing of a campus police vehicle, and being in possession of an unregistered firearm.
The Berkeley Scanner also learns of a July 15 letter from the US attorney's office detailing new allegations about Goonan with regard to a June 11 incident at the federal building in Oakland. Goonan allegedly went to the downtown Oakland building complex — which houses a federal courthouse as well as other federal offices — carrying a set of Molotov cocktails.
Federal prosecutors say that Goonan threw rocks at a window attempting to break it so he could toss a Molotov cocktail inside. The office on the other side of the window turned out to belong to the US Railroad Retirement Board. A security guard intervened, and Goonan allegedly abandoned a bag full of Molotov cocktails in a planter along 12th Street before fleeing. No charges have yet been filed in connection with this incident.
It was previously reported that Goonan may be connected to postings on the activist website IndyBay, including one on June 13 that took credit for a firebombing at UC Berkeley. "EVERY SINGLE BUILDING ON THE UC BERKELEY CAMPUS DESERVES TO BE INCINERATED FOLLOWING THE UC SYSTEM'S TREATMENT OF STUDENT PROTESTORS," the post reads.
Jeff Wozniak, an attorney for Goonan, tells the Berkeley Scanner that Goonan is innocent of any wrongdoing in the June 11 incident, and of the Berkeley firebombing, Wozniak only said, "Trying to convict [Goonan] based on these writings make this a very political case."
The alleged arson events all took place in the days and weeks after UC Berkeley peaceably negotiated with hundreds of student activists who had camped out on a central plaza in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, demanding disinvestment from companies doing business with Israel. The campers agreed to end the encampment in mid-May, after reaching what the Chronicle called a "tense detente" ahead of commencement ceremonies at the school.
University Chancellor Carol Christ said, in an outline of negotiated terms, only that UC Berkeley would "examine" its portfolio of investments, in order to align with the school's values, which she said include "respect for equality, human rights, a commitment to fostering the conditions for human growth and development, and an abhorrence of war."
Goonan is only being charged with the June 1 incident involving the campus vehicle, and the gun charge, however multiple other arsons and attempted arsons were reported in the area around this time.
As we learned earlier, Goonan was previously arrested during a protest outside an anti-trans (TERF) feminist convention that held a meeting last September at the Chinatown Hilton in San Francisco. Arrest records show Goonan was arrested on suspicion of vandalism and resisting arrest.
The latest charges in the federal indictment come with possible sentences of 20 years in prison for each count, and fines of up to $250,000 per count.
Photo via General Services Administration
