Charges Dropped Against Columbia Protestors
In a surprising development, it was announced on Thursday by Manhattan prosecutors that nearly all the protesters charged with trespassing on Columbia University’s campus during intense anti-Israel demonstrations will not face criminal charges. This decision has sparked fury from law enforcement and Jewish advocates.
These charges were dropped by District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office for 31 out of the 46 individuals connected to the uproar that resulted in the occupation of the Ivy League school’s Hamilton Hall. This was a result of a dramatic NYPD raid on April 30 that apprehended protesters on the campus located in Morningside Heights.
The decision to drop charges depended mainly on the alleged lack of evidence, such as security video footage that could connect the students or staff to the building takeover. As a result, those charged were let off without even a mere warning.
The dismissals quickly stirred anger among NYPD officers, higher education officials, and Jewish leaders. Michael Nussbaum, a 25-year veteran of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, provided a comment on the situation, calling it, “turnstile justice.”
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Stephen Millan disclosed that prosecutors faced difficulties advancing charges due to “extremely limited” video surveillance that failed to prove any damage inside the building. He added that cameras in Hamilton Hall were obscured during the police raid and no officers were injured.
However, students and staffers at Columbia, Barnard, or the Union Theological Seminary who had their charges dropped still face disciplinary action from the school, which played a part in the decision to drop the charges.
Among those who had their cases dismissed was Aidan Parisi, a postgrad student in social work at Columbia. The only remaining Hamilton Hall defendant is James Carlson, who comes from a wealthy background and is viewed as the “possible leader” of the Columbia University protests. He is charged with hate crime, assault, and petit larceny charges for allegedly burning an Israel supporter’s flag and hitting the 22-year-old in the face with a rock during an April demonstration.
Carlson, who has been labeled a wannabe bad boy, is also accused of destroying a camera inside a holding cell at One Police Plaza after his arrest during the Hamilton Hall takeover. His attorney, Moira Meltzer-Cohen, stated that Carlson disputes the “validity of many of these allegations.”
In another twist, the DA’s office informed another 14 individuals — including 12 people not affiliated with the Ivy League school — that their cases would be dropped under certain conditions.
Additional cases were also dropped, including those of nine individuals charged for occupying a building at the City College of New York protests on April 30.
The dismissals have left several police sources in disbelief, questioning the validity of a “lack of evidence” defense and expressing concern about the potential repercussions of these decisions. Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, who served 15 years as a trustee on the governing board for CUNY, was among those expressing disbelief, asking, “How can it be that you can’t identify a single person?” and declaring, “It’s not acceptable and it’s not good for the city.”