As anti-Israel protests spread across college campuses across the U.S., controversy over overreaction was raised after the police opened fire during the crackdown on Columbia University. Concerns are rising as it has been confirmed that he is an outsider.<\/p>\n
New York City and the New York Police Department (NYPD) announced on the 2nd that of the 282 people arrested at the two universities’ protest sites, 134, or 48%, were outsiders unrelated to the schools, not students, professors, or staff of the two universities.<\/p>\n
In the case of Columbia University, 112 people were arrested, and 32 (29%) were outsiders. The arrest charges for those announced by the NYPD included trespassing, vandalism, theft, assault on a police officer, obstruction of government administration such as execution of official duties, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct (obstructing vehicular and pedestrian traffic).<\/p>\n
Mayor Eric Adams said, \u201cAs anti-Israel protests on campus intensify, it has been confirmed that a significant number of outsiders unrelated to the school participated in the Columbia University and CUNY protests,\u201d adding, \u201cSome of these people are teaching illegal response techniques to students and inciting violent protests.\u201d It appears to be long. \u201cNew York City will not tolerate any hateful or violent protests,\u201d he emphasized. NYPD Director Caban also said, \u201cThrough various testimonies and evidence collected, it is confirmed that outsiders unrelated to the school participated in the protest and professionally incited the students.\u201d He added, \u201cThe NYPD puts public safety first and ensures the safety of the school, students, and citizens.\u201d \u201cI will focus on protecting it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, right after the Columbia University and CUNY protesters dispersed on the 30th of last month, Mayor Eric Adams said, \u201cThe NYPD arrested and dispersed the protesters in an orderly manner,\u201d but controversy over overreaction arose as it was belatedly confirmed that police had fired on protesters at Columbia University.<\/p>\n
The mayor’s remarks came under fire on the 2nd when the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office confirmed the police shooting. In relation to this, the NYPD released a statement saying that at the time, a police officer was approaching the barricade on the first floor of Hamilton Hall when he used a flashlight attached to his gun. He explained that he accidentally shot the gun while trying to use it. It was around 9:38 p.m., about 10 minutes after the police entered Hamilton Hall. The police explained that there were other police officers around, but there were no students. The bullet was confirmed to have hit a picture frame on the wall several feet away.<\/p>\n
The shooting scene was captured on the police officer’s body camera, and the data has reportedly been handed over to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"