Edited by: Fern Sidman
Late on Tuesday evening, the NYPD took decisive action at Columbia University, addressing a prolonged and escalating conflict on campus. Responding to a situation that spiraled into violence, law enforcement was tasked with reclaiming control of Hamilton Hall, a significant and historical academic building, from a group characterized by the police as pro-terror and anti-Israel, as was reported by The New York Post on Tuesday evening.
For weeks, Columbia University had been the backdrop for intensifying protests, marred by growing discontent and disruptive actions. The situation reached a critical point when protesters, escalating their tactics, forcefully occupied Hamilton Hall, effectively paralyzing academic operations and challenging the institution’s governance, according to the information provided in the Post report. This bold maneuver prompted the university administration to call for NYPD intervention after substantial hesitance, signaling a shift towards restoring order and safeguarding its educational mission.
As the clock struck just past 9 PM, hundreds of NYPD officers, including specialists from the Emergency Service Unit, converged on the Morningside Heights campus. The report in the Post indicated that their target was clear, but the path was not. Protesters had barricaded the front doors of Hamilton Hall, displaying a brazen defiance that met the officers with both physical and symbolic barriers.
About 100 officers were deployed, arriving on buses ready to address the situation as it unfolded. Additional officers, equipped with riot gear and zip-tie handcuffs, were stationed strategically around the campus, poised for action, as per the Post report.
In a strategic response, the NYPD deployed its Mobile Adjustable Ramp System, a tactical vehicle that allowed officers equipped in riot gear to enter the building through a second-floor window, as per the information contained in the Post report. This maneuver was a testament to the complexity and tension of the operation, highlighting the lengths to which the police were prepared to go to secure the premises.
Assistant Commissioner Carlos Nieves noted the use of distraction devices, which were deployed to disorient the occupiers and facilitate a safer, more controlled breach. The Post reported that these devices, known in common parlance as “Flash Bangs” emit a “very loud bang” and as such, were instrumental in the successful execution of the operation.
The protestors, many of whom concealed their identities with surgical masks or keffiyehs—a scarf symbolizing Palestinian nationalism—were forcibly removed from Hamilton Hall and subsequently loaded onto NYPD buses, as was detailed in the Post report. During this operation, the emotional and confrontational nature of the protests was palpable. The report added that some demonstrators continued to express their stridently anti-Israel views vocally, while others were visibly distressed, with at least one individual observed crying amid the unfolding chaos.
The occupation of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University is about to end.pic.twitter.com/vFTnqGrg9E
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) May 1, 2024
Outside the immediate vicinity of the building, the tension spilled over to nearby areas, including off-campus housing. NYPD officers stationed there faced hostile receptions, with incendiary shouts comparing the NYPD, KKK, and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), shedding light of the deep-seated animosity among some segments of the protestor group towards these institutions, the Post report said.
In response to the events that unfolded on Tuesday night, Columbia University issued a statement within minutes of police action on campus, expressing regret over the necessity of police intervention. According to the information in the Post report, the university detailed that the occupation, vandalism, and blockade of Hamilton Hall had escalated to a level that endangered community safety and forced public safety personnel out, leaving the administration with no other viable options but to act decisively to protect its community and prevent further escalation.
As the situation inside Hamilton Hall was brought under control, NYPD officers did not stop there. They moved on to the South Lawn, where protestors had set up a “mini tent city,” the Post reported. Despite a previously issued deadline by the university for vacating the area, the encampment had remained. The report in the Post also indicated that Assistant Commissioner Carlos Nieves confirmed that the individuals in the encampment were removed, signaling a comprehensive effort to clear all protest activities from the campus grounds.
Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry described the operation as having “gone very well,” a testament to the NYPD’s planning and execution under challenging circumstances, the Post affirmed. The operation resulted in approximately 100 arrests, according to police sources.
This group of protesters, later charged with third-degree burglary, criminal mischief, and trespassing, had barricaded themselves inside, effectively disrupting the campus operations, the report in the Post said. Simultaneously, another group involved in a less aggressive but still unlawful protest on the South Lawn faced charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct.
Despite the dispersal of crowds and clearance of the protest sites on Tuesday evening, the NYPD planned to maintain a presence on Columbia’s campus through to the university’s commencement on May 15.
The Ivy League university’s administration stated that the decision to call in the NYPD was a direct response to the protestors’ actions, rather than the cause they advocated, the report in the Post noted.
The NYPD also took stringent measures to control the situation, which included blocking pedestrian and vehicular traffic along 114th Street and Broadway. This action came amid vocal opposition from onlookers, who expressed their disapproval with chants of “Shame, shame, shame!,” the Post report explained.
Approximately 45 minutes before police action commenced, Columbia University issued a shelter-in-place directive to its students due to “heightened activity” at the Morningside campus. Noted in the Post report was that this precautionary measure came with a stern warning that failure to comply would result in disciplinary action, indicating the seriousness with which the university was treating the potential threat to safety.
The onset of NYPD mobilization prompted a critical reaction from Columbia’s Chapter of the American Association of University Professors. Indicated in the information in the Post report was that the faculty body issued a scathing statement, condemning the university administration for not taking up the faculty’s proposals to defuse the tensions. The statement held the university leadership, including the president, senior staff, and the Board of Trustees, accountable for what it described as “disastrous lapses of judgment” that escalated the situation to the current crisis, the Post report added. The group expressed grave concerns about the potential for injuries resulting from police actions on campus, reflecting deep divisions between faculty and administration over handling the protest.
NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban had earlier confirmed the department’s readiness to intervene at Columbia University, similar to its response two weeks prior when student protesters first established a mini tent city. As per the Post report, Commissioner Caban emphasized, “Once the university asks for our help, the NYPD will be there ready to assist them.”
In a startling development, NYPD brass disclosed that the group that forcibly entered Hamilton Hall, causing considerable property damage, included individuals identified as “professional outside agitators,” according to the Post report. These individuals, not affiliated with Columbia University or the pro-Palestinian cause, employed aggressive tactics reminiscent of past rallies. Their methods included dragging metal barricades inside the building and using furniture to barricade doors, actions that significantly escalated the conflict.
The building, symbolically renamed “Hind’s Hall” by the protesters in memory of Hind Rajab—a young Palestinian victim of the Middle Eastern conflict—became the epicenter of the protest after the university threatened to suspend students who failed to leave the previously established encampment.
The protest at Columbia is part of a broader trend observed across elite universities in New York City and nationwide. The report in the Post recalled that on April 17, anti-Israel protesters set up dozens of tents on campus in solidarity with the Hamas, pro-terror cause. This initial act of protest quickly expanded, leading to significant disruptions and a robust response from the university and law enforcement.
Among those arrested was the daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar, a prominent member of the “Squad,” highlighting the national interest and the high-profile nature of the incident. A was previously reported in the Post, In response to the protest, Columbia University imposed suspensions on involved students, threatening their eligibility for upcoming graduation.
Despite these measures, the protesters returned to campus within 24 hours, prompting the administration to attempt once again to disperse the demonstrators, the report in the Post indicated. The university’s efforts to control the situation struggled against the persistent and rowdy presence of the students. Prepared for further escalation, busloads of additional officers were on standby, though they ultimately were not deployed.