Chase Carter
The leaders of the Hamilton Hall occupation are not believed to be affiliated with Columbia University, according to university officials.
The New York Police Department entered Hamilton Hall on April 30 and began arresting pro-Palestinian protesters who had begun illegally occupying the school building the day before.
Hundreds of protesters outside the Ivy League institution chanted, “Let the students go.”
“We made the decision early in the morning that this was a law enforcement matter and that the NYPD was in the best position to determine and execute an appropriate response,” he said. Columbia University Spokesperson Ben Chang.
“We believe that the group that invaded and occupied the building is led by individuals not linked to the University. “
When Maria DeGrasso was arrested on April 18 along with 107 other students for camping on the Columbia University lawn in support of the Palestinian cause, school administrators suspended her.
The 19-year-old sophomore has been couch surfing with friends since being released from police custody because the suspension includes her dorm room at Barnard.
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“I’m trying to get the job done,” Ms. DeGrasso told The Epoch Times. “I have lovely teachers who are helping me figure this out and I’m protesting as much as I can. I have a moral obligation to continue protesting.”
DeGrasso, undeterred by the threat of expulsion, was among hundreds of people who lined up outside Columbia University’s Dodge Hall at 116 Street and Broadway on April 30 and marched to Hamilton Hall, on the corner of 116 Street and Amsterdam, where they waved to their fellow pro-Palestinian protesters who began occupying the building last night.
A Palestinian flag was flying on the roof of Hamilton Hall, which contains mainly offices and some classrooms. The occupants renamed it Hinds Hall in honor of Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl who died in January.
“Columbia refuses to negotiate and we need to make them listen so we can remain peaceful and steadfast,” DeGrassso said.
“We will not back down. Changes in our protest techniques must be made so that Columbia University will listen and continue to negotiate.”
Negotiations are halted
Talks between university officials and student protest leaders broke down on April 29 after school negotiators rejected their demands for disclosure and divestment of all financial ties to Israel.
Their demands also include amnesty for students and teachers, an end to alleged “land grabs” in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City and in Palestine, that there be no police on the Columbia University campus, and that there be no academic ties with Israeli universities.
“Protests are expected to cause work disruptions,” DeGrasso said. “If we sat quietly, no one would notice, and this issue is too important to ignore.”
About 15,000 out of a larger student population of 37,000 are scheduled to graduate May 15, and university officials are managing the disruption in increments.
After pro-Palestinian protesters vandalized property, broke windows and doors in Hamilton Hall, and blocked entrances, the university limited media access to campus.
At first, camp participants faced suspension. Now, expulsion is a risk.
“Students occupying the building may be expelled,” Mr. Chang said during a virtual press conference at 5 p.m. “We gave everyone in the camp the opportunity to leave peacefully. By committing to comply with university policies, they would be allowed to complete the semester. Students who have not committed to the terms we have offered will be suspended.”
According to DeGrasso, students are already receiving email notifications from university officials.
When Riva Feinstein, 60, was in college, she attended rallies for the Equal Rights Amendment. She felt compelled to join pro-Israel counterprotesters in front of Columbia University.
“I want to be a voice for the hostages and a voice for sanity, and I can’t stand what’s happening here right now,” Ms. Feinstein told The Epoch Times.
“I think the students who were at the camp and now in Hamilton Hall should have the highest level of university action taken against them, and if they broke the law, they should be prosecuted.”
In November 2023, Hamas released 105 of the 253 hostages captured during the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack in southern Israel.
This week, Israel offered a 40-day truce in exchange for the release of the hostages. Hamas has not yet accepted or rejected the offer.
Ms. DeGrasso, however, is not confident that a ceasefire will improve the situation in Gaza given the stakes.
“Palestine is a country and Palestinians are systematically oppressed and have been for the last 75 years,” she added. “We were taught to care about these social issues, and if Columbia wants to claim that it supports our education, then they should understand that this is just as important to our education as class would be, if not more so.”
