by Farrukh Abadi
An officer “accidentally” fired a shot in Hamilton Hall on Columbia University’s campus last Tuesday as they were clearing out pro-Palestine protesters, according to the NYPD.
Hamilton Hall was briefly occupied by pro-Palestine protesters for nearly 24 hours following a breakdown in negotiations between students protesters and school administration. Protesters renamed the building Hind’s Hall after the 6-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab executed by the IDF earlier this year. Inside the building, police body cam footage shows Maoist points and slogans written on a chalkboard, including “Political power comes from the barrel of a gun”, alongside other writing presumably from the student demonstrators occupying the building.
The gunshot was not made public during a city press conference the following day, despite the fact that Mayor Eric Adams was aware of it. At the press conference, Adams stated “The NYPD’s precision policing ensured that the operation was organized, calm, and that there were no injuries or violent clashes.” He said the protesters turned “a lawful protest to turn into a violent spectacle”.
An NYPD officer on campus was recorded texting “thought we fuckong [sic] shot someone.”
Several protesters were sent to the hospital following the police attack on Hind’s Hall, in which the NYPD used flashbang grenades and drawn guns to clear out the building while brutalizing students and protesters. After barring access to journalists and legal observers, the NYPD reportedly locked medics inside a nearby building and proceeded to push several students down stairs and drag a student that had become unconscious.
According to a student inside the building who spoke with The Worker, the police kicked at least two students in the face inside the building while they were on the ground, sending at least one of them to the hospital with a concussion.
“The students are strong,” the student said, describing a scene in which protesters stood their ground amid the detonation of several police flashbang grenades. The student described the discipline and fearlessness of their fellow protesters in the face of police violence as “the most beautiful thing” they ever experienced.
Following the police bust, President of Columbia University Minouche Shafik sent out an email stating:
“Because my first responsibility is safety, with the support of the University’s Trustees, I made the decision to ask the New York City Police Department to intervene to end the occupation of Hamilton Hall and dismantle the main encampment along with a new, smaller encampment. These actions were completed Tuesday night, and I thank the NYPD for their incredible professionalism and support.”
The following week, on Monday, Columbia announced that it is canceling its main commencement ceremony and instead having multiple smaller graduation ceremonies at a sports field away from campus due to alleged security concerns.
Shafik had previously cited the need to host commencement on the main campus to justify her calling NYPD to mass arrest students over the course of two weeks and station NYPD on campus until May 17. Over 200 students and activists have been arrested on or around Columbia’s campus since April 18, with several injured.
photo: Hamilton Hall on the night of the police raid. The Hall was occupied by Columbia students, who renamed it Hind’s Hall after a small girl murdered by the Israeli army, demonstrating against the Zionist-US imperialist genocide in Gaza and demanding their university divest from Israeli companies and from any company profiting from Zionist aggression.
