The attention on Columbia University has obscured the extent of protests and police brutality at public schools.
The focus on Columbia University has overshadowed the extent of protests—and police brutality—at people schools. The focus on Columbia University has overshadowed the extent of protests—and police brutality—at common schools.
The attention on Columbia University has obscured the extent of protests and police brutality at public schools.
We observed in shock and dismay, through a live stream, the police violently attacking students at Columbia University during the night they sent in riot police. This occurred while we were still present at the pro-Palestine encampment at City College of New York (CCNY). I had spent the week going back and forth between the two groups, documenting their activities. CCNY is just a short twenty-minute walk or a few subway stops away from Columbia. We received information that the heavily equipped police force, accompanied by their riot gear and police vehicles, were heading towards the uptown area. We were aware that CCNY’s encampment would be the next location they visit. As the clock struck midnight on May Day, the NYPD arrived with a show of force, entering the grounds with lights flashing and batons in hand. Despite this, only a small group of unarmed protestors remained. Throughout the night, it was reported that the police had used tasers on anti-war demonstrators, causing injuries such as broken teeth and bones. Iqra, a young organizer who recently graduated from Hunter College, remembers how protesters were taken to the precinct and abandoned for hours with no adequate food, water, or medical care. However, what surprised her the most were the newspaper headlines that were published the following day.
