Casey Goonan is an anarchist/anti-imperialist political prisoner incarcerated for actions carried out in solidarity with Palestinians facing genocide in Gaza and response to the repressive actions against the pro-Palestine student encampments in the United States. 

Goonan grew up in a small suburban town in the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay. In high school, they were highlighted by the local press for their athletic abilities in both football and baseball. Their brief stint at a local community college fostered an interest in race and politics and by 2011, they transferred to UC Riverside to earn an ethnic studies degree in UC Riverside. 

During their time at UC Riverside, Goonan became increasingly involved in abolitionist organizing, joining a group called UC Riverside Prison Industrial Complex Action Group. Casey later attended Northwestern University, where they earned a master’s and PhD in African American studies. During this time, they became a member of True Leap Press and an editor for Propter Nos.

Student Intifada

In April 2024, students in universities throughout the United States joined a global protest movement in response to the ongoing Israeli assault and occupation of Gaza. More than 140 campuses in the United States witnessed encampments, occupations, walkouts, or sit-ins. The protests were met with mass repression, leading to over 3,100 arrests across the country. The actions were also met with violent pro-Israel counter demonstrations, who instigated physical confrontations with students. 

On May 1, pro-Israeli counter-protesters attacked the UCLA encampment for nearly four hours. The counter-protesters assaulted the students with fireworks, sticks, poles, metal fencing, pepper spray, and bear mace. During the assault, they called for the “Second Nakba”, referring to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in 1948. The LAPD arrived nearly three hours after the assault began but waited more than an hour before intervening. At least 25 students were transported to local hospitals with fractures, severe lacerations, and chemical-induced injuries. The LAPD used the altercation as an excuse to dismantle the encampment, leading to the arrest of 210 protesters who refused to disperse. Despite the dismantling of the encampment, students continued to engage in demonstrations on campus. 

Between June 1- June 16, 2024, a series of arson attacks took place on the UC Berkeley campus, including one that targeted a University of California Police Department (UCPD) patrol car. In addition to the campus incidents, a Molotov attack was foiled at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland.

A series of statements under various aliases were posted in Indymedia.org providing an explanation for the actions, claiming they were in response to the assaults against the UCLA student encampments. The statements also called for a week of autonomous actions for the liberation of Palestine and an end to the genocide in Gaza.  

The Raid and Arrest

The attacks were investigated by Cal Fire’s Office of the State Fire Marshal Arson and Bomb Unit, the UC Berkeley Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the FBI. When reviewing security video of the June 1 attack on the UCPD patrol car, investigators were able to identify a car with a license plate leading to Casey Goonan.

On June 17, 2024, law enforcement raided Casey Goonan’s parents’ home in Pleasant Hill, searching for “documents related to the conflict between Israel and Palestine.” They allegedly found a box of matches, lighters, a gasoline container, a mask and discarded disposable gloves in the car and DNA evidence connecting them to some of the actions.

The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office initially charged Goonan with the actions, however, the federal government took over the case and charged Goonan with 18 U.S.C. § 844(f)(1) – Damaging or destroying property owned or possessed by the United States or any institution receiving federal financial assistance by means of fire or explosion, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a minimum sentence of five years in prison.  

Plea and Sentencing

In January 2025, Casey pleaded guilty to one count of maliciously damaging or destroying property used in or affecting interstate commerce by means of fire or an explosive in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 844(i), for the arson attack on the campus police car. As part of a plea agreement, Goonan took responsibility for the other attacks but pleaded not guilty to the additional charges. 

Casey’s sentencing date was September 23, 2025. The government asked the court to impose a 188-month sentence, 15 years of supervised release, fines, restitution and placement in the Bureau of Prisons’ restrictive Communication Management Unit (CMU). The government pointed to the actions that led to Goonan’s arrest, their continued political activity, and their writings illustrating their unrepentant attitude as the reason for their recommendation. The judge, however, added an additional 47 months, sentencing Goonan to 235 months in federal prison.

Casey is currently in transit to their designated prison.