Protests and police on campus

[Ruralguy]

I didn't qualify with the word "just."
But your point is both valid and taken.

Of course its a horrible idea. But some people will call for horrible solutions knowing that its the way to get attention.

It is in my opinion a serious mistake to think that this was just a way to get attention. The GOP has a non trivial number of supporters and elected officials that want to do this and similar things as policy. I believe he and others (see my earlier post about Governor Abbott in Texas) want to and have done exactly this.

[jimbogumbo]

From the Ballon Juice blog:

"The other big news is all the protests occurring all over the country regarding the War in Gaza. I've been saying this for years, but I'll say it again. There is fundamentally NO DIFFERENCE between the majority of college and university administrations and every corporate hack out there. None. That's one of the dirty secrets about colleges that Republicans, in their 60 year war on the academy, don't want anyone to know. There may be faculty and students with liberal sensibilities, and a smattering of actual radicals, but the majority of administrators could just as easily be lying to congress about whether tobacco is addictive or that climate change is a hoax. The only real difference is that university admins are versed in the language of liberalism, but only enough so that they can brandish it at as a weapon against their enemies, which is usually faculty and staff and students.

So am I surprised that the gut instinct of all of these assholes is to immediately call the cops on students? Not even remotely. All they care about is that the donor cash keeps coming in and their record is not blemished with the people who matter- they're corporate donors, fellow administrators, and Republican politicians. Are there some bad actors who have said inexcusable things and peddled anti-Semitic tropes? Of course. Are they the majority? No. Not even close. I'll just leave it to you to parse why the most ardent critics of trigger warnings and safe spaces are now cheering on... the arrest and violence inflicted on them in the process of those with whom they disagree."

[spork]

From the Ballon Juice blog:

"The other big news is all the protests occurring all over the country regarding the War in Gaza. I've been saying this for years, but I'll say it again. There is fundamentally NO DIFFERENCE between the majority of college and university administrations and every corporate hack out there. None. That's one of the dirty secrets about colleges that Republicans, in their 60 year war on the academy, don't want anyone to know. There may be faculty and students with liberal sensibilities, and a smattering of actual radicals, but the majority of administrators could just as easily be lying to congress about whether tobacco is addictive or that climate change is a hoax. The only real difference is that university admins are versed in the language of liberalism, but only enough so that they can brandish it at as a weapon against their enemies, which is usually faculty and staff and students.

So am I surprised that the gut instinct of all of these assholes is to immediately call the cops on students? Not even remotely. All they care about is that the donor cash keeps coming in and their record is not blemished with the people who matter- they're corporate donors, fellow administrators, and Republican politicians. Are there some bad actors who have said inexcusable things and peddled anti-Semitic tropes? Of course. Are they the majority? No. Not even close. I'll just leave it to you to parse why the most ardent critics of trigger warnings and safe spaces are now cheering on... the arrest and violence inflicted on them in the process of those with whom they disagree."

In a similar vein, a well-written open letter to Columbia's president by a UCLA history professor:

https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/letter-to-columbia-university-president-minouche-shafik/.

[marshwiggle]

From the Ballon Juice blog:

"Are there some bad actors who have said inexcusable things and peddled anti-Semitic tropes? Of course. Are they the majority? No. Not even close."

That's because the majority are too clueless to find Gaza on a map, and are just parroting what the group tells them too, so they don't get left out.

[Langue_doc]

Columbia Begins to Suspend Student Protesters
University officials gave the pro-Palestinian demonstrators a 2 p.m. deadline and threatened to suspend them if they did not leave.

Universities Face an Urgent Question: What Makes a Protest Antisemitic?
Pro-Palestinian student activists say their movement is anti-Zionist but not antisemitic. It is not a distinction that everyone accepts.

[Langue_doc]

Police Clear Building at Columbia and Arrest Dozens of Protesters
Officers in riot gear removed demonstrators who had seized Hamilton Hall, a building with a history of student takeovers. Scores of other arrests were made on campuses across the country.

NYPD says police arrested nearly 300 people at Columbia and City College protests

[Wahoo Redux]

This arrest has been making the social media / news rounds with very divided opinion about its legitimacy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5t5ldOXvwQ

[kaysixteen]

We thank you for your services to this university, Professor, and they are no longer required.

[jimbogumbo]

From the Ballon Juice blog:

"Are there some bad actors who have said inexcusable things and peddled anti-Semitic tropes? Of course. Are they the majority? No. Not even close."

That's because the majority are too clueless to find Gaza on a map, and are just parroting what the group tells them too, so they don't get left out.

I think you might not know what majority means.

Seriously, I think these students know a great deal about the situation. On the merits of calling for disinvestment, and the idea that is really even possible, not so much.

[spork]

Sent to me by a parent of a current Columbia undergrad:

https://twitter.com/elicalebon/status/1785560131100618798?s=49&t=RRIS-Y6CCLizLM83-jthEA

The key sentence, in my opinion, is "You don't see this in lower tier schools from kids of lower socio-economic standing because they aren't plagued with the guilt of privilege that they're seeking to launder through Middle East role plays of feigned suffering."

[Langue_doc]

The 63-Year-Old Career Activist Among the Protesters at Columbia
Videos show Lisa Fithian, whom the police called a "professional agitator," working alongside protesters who stormed Hamilton Hall.

What the First Amendment Means for Campus Protests

What the First Amendment Means for Campus Protests
Encampments? Occupying buildings? Demonstrators cite their right to free expression, but the issues are thorny.

Eric Adams Seizes Role as Face of the Crackdown on Student Protests
Mayor Eric Adams of New York defended the arrests of nearly 300 protesters and said he would not allow the protests to disrupt the city.

[Parasaurolophus]

Meanwhile, at UCLA, counter-protesters attacked encamped students with clubs, tear gas, and fireworks, while shouting racial slurs. The cops came but then stood around.

[Langue_doc]

Our local news has been reporting about the vandalism and damage to buildings. There have also been credible reports of non-students on campus directing/co-ordinating the vandalism.

Smashed windows, stacked furniture left after occupation of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University

Students who don't have the luxury of ignoring their studies seem to have been sidelined by the protesters.

'We can't work, we can't think': Columbia University students study for finals following protest, campus lockdown

From the article:"The students are saying we can't work, we can't think, we can't study under these conditions. We've got faculty whose papers they need to grade are locked in their offices right now," said Joseph Howley, a classics professor at Columbia. "It completely upended everything that we do."

Howley joined dozens of other faculty members on Wednesday to protest Columbia President Minouche Shafik's request for the NYPD to arrest students who had barricaded themselves inside the Hamilton Hall school building. The NYPD said police arrested 109 protesters at Columbia on Tuesday. Another 173 pro-Palestinian students at City College were arrested around the same time.

"Students and outside activists breaking Hamilton Hall doors, mistreating our public safety officers and maintenance staff, and damaging property are acts of destruction, not political speech," Shafik wrote in a message to Columbia students and employees on Wednesday.

"It is going to take time to heal, but I know we can do that together. I hope that we can use the weeks ahead to restore calm, allow students to complete their academic work, and honor their achievements at commencement."[/quote]

[marshwiggle]

From the Ballon Juice blog:

"Are there some bad actors who have said inexcusable things and peddled anti-Semitic tropes? Of course. Are they the majority? No. Not even close."

That's because the majority are too clueless to find Gaza on a map, and are just parroting what the group tells them too, so they don't get left out.

I think you might not know what majority means.

Seriously, I think these students know a great deal about the situation. On the merits of calling for disinvestment, and the idea that is really even possible, not so much.

How many of these students had any knowledge or interest in any of the institution's investments before October 7? How many now could identify, from a list of corporation names, which ones have ties to Israel and are ones in which the institution invests?

I have no respect whatsoever for protesters, from any place on the political spectrum, who are just bandwagon-jumpers who are just there so they look good in front of their "friends".

If there are protesters who have actually lost friends or family members in Gaza, that's an entirely different story. They actually have some knowledge and legitimate grievance.

And outside "protesters" who aren't even from campus? They should be jailed and charged with trespass, break and enter, and anything else on the books. They're the worst of the worst.

[Hibush]

I have no respect whatsoever for protesters, from any place on the political spectrum, who are just bandwagon-jumpers who are just there so they look good in front of their "friends".

Reinforcing group identity may be the main motivator for joining the protests. It is understandable. Not a good policy technique, but perhaps some will get interested in policy as a result.