California woman charged with disrupting April Turning Point USA event on a college campus

A California woman has been charged with disrupting a Turning Point USA event on a college campus earlier this year that went viral as protesters clashed with a conservative speaker. 

Joanna Clara Sodke, 22, allegedly participated in the protest at the University of California, Davis April 3 at an event featuring commentator Brandon Tatum. 

Tatum was at the “Prove me Wrong” event when protesters destroyed camera gear, a tent and event signage and flipped tables and assaulted group staff, Turning Point USA said. 

INSIDE THE CHAOS OF BLOODY BERKELEY AS PROTESTERS GO WILD DURING TURNING POINT USA EVENT

Protesters violently disrupt a conservative student event at a California university (Turning Point USA )

The chaos that unfolded nationwide drew attention, including from Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated in September while at a Utah college campus. 

Sodke was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit a riot and one count of battery.

She was scheduled to be arraigned Friday afternoon in Yolo Superior Court, Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig’s office said in a statement.

Sodke graduated from UC Davis in 2024 with a degree in history, The Sacramento Bee reported. Videos from the incident showed a group of masked protesters pulling down a TPUSA tent and shoving event organizers. 

UC BERKELEY CHAOS OUTSIDE TURNING POINT GATHERING ENDS IN MULTIPLE ARRESTS AS CONSERVATIVE EVENT RUNS SMOOTHLY

Protesters violently disrupted a Turning Point USA event in April at the University of California, Davis. A woman who graduated from the school has been charged for her alleged role in the protest, authorities said.  (Turning Point USA ) (Turning Point USA  /Getty Images)

The charges were announced days after a protest outside a TPUSA event at the UC Berkeley campus. Four Berkeley students were arrested by UC Berkeley police early Monday morning on felony vandalism charges.

The event, as well as the one from April, reignited debates over free speech on college campuses and attacks against conservative speakers. 

Police officers separate two men outside a Turning Point USA event at the University of California, Berkeley, Nov. 10, 2025, in Berkeley, Calif.  (AP)

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“There is no place at UC Berkeley for attempts to use violence or intimidation to prevent lawful expression or chill free speech,” a UC Berkeley statement said. “The University is conducting a full investigation and intends to fully cooperate with and assist any federal investigations and the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force to identify the outside agitators responsible for attempting to disrupt last night’s TPUSA event.