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More images have come in from the confrontation that took place at the tail end of Friday's student protest and occupation of a university tower at The New School. The debate continues over the NYPD's response caught on tape using tear gas and forcefully arresting protesters who attempted to escape. The 22 demonstrators arrested Friday were in court yesterday where they were released without bail. Court dates have been set for two weeks from now.
New School President Bob Kerrey spoke to the Post, saying he has no plans to resign "unless the quality of my life deteriorates." Students involved with the The New School Reoccupied are still calling for the removal of Kerrey and VP James Murtha due to students' lack of a voice in the university's direction. Kerrey has also received a vote of no-confidence from 95% of New School faculty members.
Kerrey did not mince words though when addressing the occupiers, saying, "They put on black masks and wander around New York City? We still remember 9/11 around here." He also told the Post, "An illegal occupation of a building is not a legitimate protest. There's a long list of legitimate ways to protest a university. This isn't one of them. If they do it again, I'll call (the NYPD) again."
After the jump is an email sent yesterday from the New School to the New School community, offering a narrative of events:
Update from The New SchoolNew York City, April 11, 2009 - Early yesterday morning, a New School
building at the corner of 14th Street and 5th Avenue was illegally
broken into by approximately 30 people, some of whom were New School
students. The police were involved and 22 protesters were arrested. Any
participant that is enrolled at The New School will be suspended pending
completion of disciplinary proceedings. Below is a timeline of activity
of yesterday's events.At 5:25am, a maintenance employee for The New School was in the
cafeteria in 65th 5th Avenue. He heard a loud bang when over two dozen
protesters with crowbars broke the locks on the side door on 13th
Street. As he exited the cafeteria, he was overwhelmed by another group
of protestors, some wearing face masks. He reported being physically
grabbed by four men and forced out the door. During this time, they
stole his security two-way radio.A security supervisor responded to a call from the maintenance employee
and went to the buildings entrance on 13th Street, where he interrupted
the protestors in their effort to block the doorway. Although students
have publicly denied that anyone was hurt, participants slammed the
supervisors leg in the door as he tried to enter through the door. He
sustained injuries to his leg and went to the emergency room at St.
Vincents Hospital.The protesters carried crowbars, bolt-cutters, mace, paint, hundreds of
feet of security cable, masking and duct tape, kryptonite locks, and
hundreds of feet of nylon rope into the building. They were also
carrying sleeping bags and food, indicating they planned to be in the
building for some time.Security called 911 to report a burglary at The New School and gave the
location at 65 5th Avenue. The initial NYPD responding units arrived at
the scene in three minutes and began assembling a comprehensive team to
deal with the break-in. NYPD have been on alert since December 2008 as
there have been numerous attempts to break into this building before.
NYPD protocols dictated the nature of the response by the police.The protesters, some but not all of whom were New School students,
blocked all building entrances. They used conduit pipe, or hollow metal
bars, heavy, plastic-coated security cable, and gravity locks to block
the doors, which were then reinforced with desks and chairs. They used
Crazy Glue on all the locks. They put duct tape over all security
cameras and transmission devices, effectively cutting off the buildings
network service. They also cut through the cage inside the building to
the cafeteria and smashed the cash register.Between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., up to nine hooded individuals appeared
on the roof of the building, where they made a statement and hung signs
at the 13th Street and 5th Avenue corner of the building.At approximately 11:30 a.m. a group of students tried to escape through
an exit on 14th Street. It is estimated that eight participants escaped
down 14th Street. Three were caught by the NYPD and resisted arrest. The
individuals included three students, one from The New School, one from
Brooklyn College and one from NYU, who was confirmed by NYU security as
a member of their previous occupation. These protesters hurt two police
officers and face charges of assault in the 2nd degree. One protester,
a New School student, was hurt in the altercation.At 11:45, the NYPD prepared to enter the building. Using a megaphone,
Tim Sikorski, head of New School security, warned the protesters they
would be arrested and the NYPDs hostage negotiation leader also made a
similar announcement. Protesters responded to the NYPDs request and
unlocked the doors and let the NYPD in.There were 16 males and 3 females present in the building. All were
arrested, in addition to the 3 arrested earlier on 14th Street. It is
unknown at this time how many participants were New School students.
There were participants from other universities as well as other
unaffiliated individuals. Protesters inside the building did not resist
arrest. The NYPD used plastic handcuffs and led each participant out of
the building. They were taken to NYPDs central booking. All participants
face charges for burglary in the 3rd degree, a charge stemming from
breaking into an unoccupied building.
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"They put on black masks and wander around New York City? We still remember 9/11 around here."
What a tool. What does this have to do with 9/11?
dumb hipsters...
These acts are always win-win situations for the kids and I'm glad to see them lose for once. Either the school chooses to be non-confrontational and the kids get to shout through a bullhorn on the nightly news or the police are called in and the kids get to play the martyr by howling the second they are so much as touched by NYPD. A stiff upper lip by the administration is the only way to balance the monopoly these kids hold on the outcome of their own acts of political theater.
Come on. What about the fact that most of the senior faculty also doesn't like Kerrey? When so many people side against one person, something is definitely amiss. If he really cared about the school, he'd step down instead of giving his "over my dead body" speech. What great things exactly has he been able to accomplish during his time there?
What does Kerrey know about student protesters?
While young men and women his age were protesting an illegal war in Viet Nam and fighting for peace, Kerrey volunteered as a Navy Seal, a unit known for its viciousness.
While kids his age were protesting on the streets and taking over campuses, this war criminal massacred 13 women, children and old men at Thanh Phong.
Lt. Calley went to jail for the massacre at My Lai. The Rabid Right in Nebraska elected Kerrey as a US Senator. Go figure.
The Rabid Right in NY are emulating their cronies in Nebraska right here on Gothamist. Go figure.
And why is that you're so outspoken regarding Mr. Kerry yet you're not in jail right now with those who occupied the building? Oh, maybe because your personal crusade stops at talking smack on the interwebs.
Who needs the likes of an anonymous flat-assed blogger sitting in front of a little computer screen to question my 'personal crudades'?
Suffice to say, Buster: Been there, done that!
Any you?
Since your homicidal quote @12:56 indicates your mentality, let me ask you:
Why aren't you down in Chinatown, emulating your war-criminal hero, Kerry, by slitting the throat of some innocent Vietnamese?
Maybe you should ask someone who can't or simply won't bother to tell the difference between Chinese and Vietnamese. I'm sure there is some other racist douchebag in this city with the same problem other than yourself.
the facts just got BURNED!
actually I don't think there's a defined "vietnamese" area in the city so Chinatown would be a logical place as any.
remember the BTK gang on Canal Street?
In your dreams, sycophant.
Good, old "thefacts." Making friends wherever he goes. Don't you know, he's nothing like me -- a person who adds nothing to discussions and just criticizes. Well, at least he'll always have his mutual admirer, Snoopy.
Such is the level of intelligence from anonymous bloggers on Gothamist.
Chinatown is full of Vietnamese. To find one, go to any Pho house and then go Phok yourself.
Such cleverness and a distinct lack of bitterness there.
Oh, and most "intelligent" people here know that commenting on a blog is not the same as blogging. We're commenters, not bloggers, at least on Gothamist. In fact, the only other person around these parts who makes the same mistake is, big surprise, Snoopy.
Actually most of them are full of white people.
Only a very small handful are still considered "neighborhood" joints.
If you break into a building while "protesting" you become a criminal. Criminals are usually manhandled pretty good if they resist arrest. From what I see, this guy Kerry doesn't fit with the school. Put pressure on him using LEGAL means. If the administration doesn't listen, leave the school because they clearly don't care about the student body.
If I broke into my neighbor's house during a "protest" I'd be sitting in jail too.
I think he likes what he sees...
Nice to see the cops actually burning a calorie chasing students. Oh, there's a couple of murders and a rape a block away -- you guys might want to look in on that as well.
"An illegal occupation of a building is not a legitimate protest. There's a long list of legitimate ways to protest a university. This isn't one of them. If they do it again, I'll call (the NYPD) again."
The students' protest was not only against the legitimacy of the administration, but the legitimacy of the entire system that has produced those 'legitimate ways to protest.'
Well, why not just shoot the guy and be done with it then? By any means necessary, right?
are you crazy? is that what you think I said?
wow.
I mean, WOW.
If depriving these students of their apparent right to break and enter, assault a security guard and vandalize property is a problem for you, who am I to understand where your line in the sand is drawn?
"The students' protest was not only against the legitimacy of the administration, but the legitimacy of the entire system that has produced those 'legitimate ways to protest.'"
It is? Everything I've heard from them has indicated that they're protests are against the lack of voice or control given to the students in determining the University's direction.
If they're also protesting the existence of the New York Penal Law, they should say so.
"they're" protests? Tell me I didn't do that. Caught between "they're protesting against" and "their protests are against," apparently I couldn't get off the fence.
"They put on black masks and wander around New York City? We still remember 9/11 around here."
yes because we all know the terrorists who attacked the twin towers wore black masks and wandered around the city. Was Kerrey even here then? What an idiot. I also vote no-confidence and I don't even know the guy.
Kerrey's a tough-talking coward who'd probably lose a fistfight with a 14-year-old schizophrenic or a 15-year-old ghetto gangbanger.
university pres. are now the new tough guys.
Kerry's a Vietnam vet who could de-limb you with a kitchen knife.
weaksauce. those kids need to take some lessons from the pissed-off algerian kids living in the paris ghettos. THOSE dudes know how to protest. you don't see enough molotov cocktails thrown around in the US nowadays, and about the only time you see cars flipped over and set on fire is when frat boys riot when their school wins the ncaa tournament. lame.
Kerry was Navy SEAL who lost a leg in Vietnam- SEALs are considered to be the toughest of the tough as far as the US military is concerned.
Toughness is great on the battlefield, but I'm not sure it's all that desirable an attribute for a college president.
SF guys are "tougher" -- they're out in-country for months at a time.
Not saying SEALs aren't, but their missions are vastly different and require different skill sets.
It's not always about door-kicking, where most (full-time) SWAT cops will do better than mil guys.
Are you a member of a special operations force?
Those vicious evil Navy SEALS just saved the kidnapped captain in the Gulf of Aden. I'm so sure Kerrey is embarrassed to call himself one.
I have to wonder why these students applied and enrolled to a school with such an objectionable administration in the first place. OK, perhaps they didn't do their homework ahead of time. So why not transfer now?
Kerrey might be the worst university president ever. He might be evil or criminal. I would be interested in hearing more about these viewpoints, but the people who seem to believe these things also seem to be somewhat impaired when it comes to articulation.
On this board I see that people find it objectionable that Kerry was a SEAL.
On television, the most coherent speaker I've seen was a camera-hungry opportunitst choking out incomplete sentences that added up to "...the administration....what they do is unacceptable...and we won't take it."
Again, I'd like to hear more.
Really, people: construct something more compelling than "cops are bullies." Make a freaking case or shut the fuck up and do some reading (of something other than blog comments). Do they teach anything related to logic or writing at The New School?
Or is there some kind of competition going with NYU for most intellectually immature protest (ie, publicity stunt) (ie, most YouTube views)?
the girl in the first picture doesn't even go to new school... she's the crazy who led the take back nyu "occupation" of the kimmel center this february. maybe nyu will reinstate her suspension after this stunt.
just someone please make these people go away!
School protests are always good. I always loved taking part back in the day simply because it was a good reminder to the working and blue-collar classes, especially those overweight donut-eating schlubs, just exactly who runs this planet. And always will.
In the description of a video that you link to, you are conflate pepper spray with tear gas, which was never used. Please correct this in your story!