(RepublicanPress.org) – The pro-Palestine demonstrations at American colleges and universities recently took a turn for the worse after outside agitators started attacking students and otherwise using the protests to pursue their particular agendas. School officials began calling on local law enforcement agencies and, in extreme cases, National Guard troops to clear out the demonstrators and restore order in late April.
Recent reports indicated that officers with the New York Police Department (NYPD) removed protestors unlawfully occupying a university building in New York City.
NYPD Raids University Building Occupied by Protesters
On April 30, at 10:17 and 10:34 p.m. local time, NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Operations Kaz Daughtry posted two statements on his X/Twitter page regarding the latest incident involving his department and protesters at the University of Columbia. He confirmed that school officials had requested the department’s assistance to “take back their campus” in light of the recent “destruction of property,” display of “forms of intimidation,” and instances of “disturbing acts of violence.”
Daughtry advised that NYPD officers were currently “dispersing” individuals “barricaded inside university buildings” and “unlawful encampments. He also said they were working to restore order on the campus.
#HAPPENINGNOW: @Columbia has requested our assistance to take back their campus, which has seen disturbing acts of violence, forms of intimidation & destruction of property. @NYPDnews is dispersing the unlawful encampment and persons barricaded inside of university buildings… pic.twitter.com/lEB6TdhB0c
— NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) May 1, 2024
#HAPPENINGNOW: @Columbia has requested our assistance to take back their campus, which has seen disturbing acts of violence, forms of intimidation & destruction of property. @NYPDnews is dispersing the unlawful encampment and persons barricaded inside of university buildings… pic.twitter.com/gQUzXDUlFe
— NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) May 1, 2024
Daughtry included two photographs and three short video clips in those posts showing police officers struggling to regain control of the campus.
School Officials Ask for Help
On April 30, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik sent a letter to the NYPD’s deputy commissioner for legal affairs regarding the unrest on the school’s New York campus. She explained that an unknown individual had entered Hamilton Hall and hid there until officials closed the building for the day.
Then, that person let others into the building to occupy the structure, trapping two security guards inside. Shafik wrote that although school officials believed the invaders included students, “individuals who are not affiliated with the university” led the effort to invade the building.
Shafik advised Deputy Commissioner Michael Gerber that the invaders were trespassing and vandalizing school property. She also noted that protesters were still maintaining an encampment on the school’s Morningside campus’ West Lawn and set up another one on the Math Lawn the previous evening.
The letter indicated that talks with the protester had recently broken down. “With the utmost regret,” Shafik requested the deployment of NYPD officers to “clear all individuals from Hamilton Hall” and both encampments. She also asked for police officers to remain on the campus through “at least May 17” to “maintain order and ensure [those] encampments are not re-established.”
Shafik stressed the importance of taking proper precautions “when removing any individual” from the campus. “The safety and security of our community is our highest priority, [particularly] for our students,” she added.
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