NYPD moves in on protesters at Columbia University making dozens of arrests

This situation unfolding here really, if you're just tuning in, the NYPD has closed in on

protesters

at Columbia University, we go on air around 9:20 and if you see that vehicle in the background, if you're uniting us, huh. We saw about 50 officers enter the campus through the window on that ramp and the

university

had called them in because the situation, they say, was getting worse. We know that during the night pro

protesters

forced their way into Hamilton Hall and brought in barricades. They broke windows. We also understand that, according to the police, there were training sessions between protesters in the camp today and we just saw a bus pass by.

We are attentive to the situation. We know that the NYPD seems to be targeting more officers. towards our cameras on 114th street also chy if you can still hear me yeah yeah I'm hearing it and as you mentioned that's a different door than where we are there are 116 of us so the door you're looking at is not surprising. you're saying you're saying you're seeing someone being taken out uh that's another camera at another door so it looks like they're not being taken out of the main doors where most of the activity has been centered um possibly due to because of the large crowd. here, this is where everything had been centered for the most part, so it looks like they're trying to get them out a door where there's just not a lot of people, there's obviously not a lot of these protesters. and and and because a lot of people here are shouting Shame, Shame, etc., etc., I spoke to someone who works at the University and he didn't want to appear on camera who is standing next to me.

He basically said it's amazing and and and and and it's embarrassing, but it's hard to get anyone close to you to say anything. Some of them say they're afraid there will be repercussions at the

university

and so on, so, yeah, there are a lot of people here, although we're just waiting to see what happens. what's going to happen next, okay, that's where you are, I understand Chuy, okay, let's get back to Terry Monahan, uh, Terry, you know, we know the officers are now inside. We saw a couple of people come out and with their hands tied behind them it looked like they had done it.

We arrested a couple of people and detained them at the height of this situation when we first turned on our cameras and took them near the doors, but what can you tell us about what's happening right now? They should put them all together. room that everyone should be in uh you basically saw an NYPD bus pass by before it should be taken to campus uh I would expect them to load the people inside the campus onto the buses, those who are going to be arrested like this way they can be It can be easily transported away from the scene without having to pass, you know, any protesters that may be on the street right now is to make sure that whoever the arresting officers are, they identify who they're arresting .

Know what they did. they were arrested to make sure that as it goes through the legal process that everything is okay, you know, every dot is crossed and every eye is dotted so that they can be prosecuted, okay Terry, that looks like a drone we're looking for ? Right now, can you see this footage here? I can't see the drone right now, but you would have the drone activated so you can monitor everything, so this is where the commanders go directly to their phones and can watch. on the phone, uh, they direct their drones, whatever is happening in the area, any protests that may be going to the outskirts right now, because as you move people away, they may want to protest and you have to make sure that no one tries to do it.

Circle backwards or backwards or something like that and Terry, I have another question, so what does it look like as we keep our eyes on this situation? They say they remove protesters when asked what it looks like to prevent more protesters from entering. return to campus, what that situation looks like, that will be up to the Columbia Public Safety team, okay, they have to control entry who will be allowed on campus, those who are supposedly suspended and expelled will not be you should allow the campus to return uh it's going to be a big task for your Public Safety to keep your property controlled uh NYU built walls around certain areas to keep people out, that's what you have to do uh your Public Safety team needs a plan to ensure that you have complete and total control of the University now.

I would feel like they may be very limited as to who will be allowed on campus mhm uh and they're really going to have to monitor it very, very closely over the next few days and our photojournalist was able to see what we're seeing now Terry, was able to do zoom through the door and this is Chuie Beckford's camera. I think she has photojournalist Will Caldwell with her right now. Yes, it's Caldwell and Houston. I'm not sure what camera you're looking at, but I see through the door even with the naked eye, a lot of people, people there towards the courtyard, I think, or the courtyard. a lot of police officers look like Alik and, uh, I can't say exactly who if there are protesters, but it definitely seems like there's been a lot of movement and it's still in line with what Terry was talking about about the idea that uh, they're also rounding up the people in the camp, uh, they have not been brought through this gate, uh, at this point, they have been brought through gate 114, uh, but again, as you mentioned this, there is a large crowd here a large crowd that they have been, they have been shouting, things have remained peaceful so far, but obviously they don't want to bring, apparently at this point, bring those people from the camp or from the building this way in front of the crowd and I know we have never received a final number of how many protesters have been inside that encampment, but we do know that just by checking the large number of officers that they saw coming in, it looked like 50 or more that came up the ramp and through the windows, how many yes, about 50 or so and then of course they went up the ramp, but we're also talking about the officers here on the ground who are basically standing still. guard uh in front of the barricades here and in front of this large group uh behind me and around me um obviously

making

sure that they don't break the barricade either and close the doors again like they have been uh for several days now chy thank you let's let you monitor that situation I want to get back to Chief Investigative Reporter Jonathan John you've been monitoring this with us all night while you watch this video As you hear from your NYPD sources, we zoom in and see the officer's arm with zip ties there .

What are you thinking while watching this video right now? See what I'm thinking is that here. on Amsterdam Avenue, in this area where Czech is, it appears that the police have secured much of the perimeter, we have different broadcasts with different images that still show some of the active protesters, which may be on the Broadway side and you can hear the opportunity through the U Cy microphone with that Will Caldwell where he's filming and you saw part of the camera angle as he went through the gates there, the police secured inside the campus in the quad area and again he didn't I don't know how long he It's taking the police to get through Hamilton Hall and, if in fact they've already secured the entire building, you'd think they'd given up just the sheer number of police officers that went into that building. and as seen at least from this camera angle, where Czechy is, things seem to be pretty much under control, the question is inside the building and maybe other parts of the campus, where are the important things to look out for? ?

Furthermore, Columbia is not the only campus that has seen these types of demonstrations. At the university they've also had some problems over the last week, if not longer, and the police have been dealing with a smaller situation there, but it really seems that at least here in Manhattan, Colombia has been a breeding ground for this activity of protest and the police responded given the letter that Colombia sent to the police this afternoon, at 9:00 a.m., to move. and regain control of the campus again from student protesters as well as outsiders, as the mayor has called them outside agitators.

The mayor again says that this must end now in terms of his statements this afternoon and obviously the Board of Directors in Colombia, together with the president, made the decision to invite the NYPD to make this move, while the Groups of teachers and some protesters are obviously not happy with that decision. It was taken tonight, John, thanks, we're getting another angle. Here's a new video that just arrived that we have here. This is 114 on Broadway. The camera shakes a little, but you're seeing the NYPD's response when John said what we heard from Cy. He also gave you a chance from the viewers.

In the area officers arrived around 9:20, shortly after 9:00, we saw it live on our cameras and just take a second while you look at this footage, we know how tensions have been going on not just in Columbia Like Jonathan. said, but across the country at a time when graduation is supposed to occur, we know there were concerns about whether graduation could happen with this situation, trying to clear the protesters in time for that and as far as a security situation right now, imagine. If you're a student in Colombia, police say security officials sent out the shelter-in-place alert that's in effect right now for Columbia University, we know two deans at the university sent out an urgent update tonight, I'd say It was around 9:00 when I saw that in my email asking students to stay safe and avoid public areas on and around campus and you're seeing the response from the NYPD, we have news Force Chucky Beckford there , I hear you Chuy talking about the ambulances that are coming, yes.

It was a Columbia University ambulance and earlier I had seen two paramedics walking across the street in front of the gate, to the right here, where some of those protesters who were initially transported from in front of the gate had been detained. has been placed so it's not clear at this point what the situation is but we have seen now this is the second ambulance uh two ambulances now um driving in front of uh in front of the door here um and it's not clear who has been injured or if anyone has been physically injured or if there's just a medical emergency right now, we have no idea, but I saw a couple paramedics in the area earlier and then, now, these two ambulances and, you know, Chucky, I know we're listening. people are singing behind you, you said a couple of people were nervous to talk to you, but you know what the people next to you are saying about what they're seeing seeing the NYPD respond this way.

Honestly, they're not saying anything I'm not going to get a photo. The calwell newspaper will pan here on the right here on the right so you can see the people and the crowd here, a lot of silence, a lot of people just looking. I think they were as surprised by this as we were when it all happened, although we knew to anticipate this, that it was a possibility, a very likely possibility after hearing that previous press conference from the mayor and the police commissioner uh, who were there, it was very likely that they would move uh, the language sounded like that was what was going to happen at some point once they got the go-ahead from Colombia, uh, but I still see it. it happens watching it unfold uh uh you know, it's pretty amazing to see it happen uh in front of you and right now we're hearing some chance obviously singing and stuff, but no one's really saying much uh, they're really looking at the phones that are recording, they are recording videos, they are, etc., but no one says much and again, it's hard to get people to talk on camera, a lot of them are wearing masks, um, a lot. of these followers and they don't want one of them, you know, he said, you know, I don't want to be kicked out, so with Chuy, as we know, he captured his attention like he captured ours and really the attention of the entire company. or excuse me the entire country as these tensions have been rising in the area, if you join us, what we have been showing here for almost I would say 45 to 50 minutes, the NYPD moved into the campus of the Columbia University.

That's where pro-Palestinian protesters had occupied that building. This was after Columbia sent a letter to the NYPD asking them to take action. Now we knew we had known for a while that this was a possibility. This evening the police had stated in a press conference that Be prepared when the university calls them again. Police released video late today showing some of the protesters who had broken into Hamilton Hall on campus overnight and smashed windows. We saw video of them pushing barricades into the building and Mayor Adamsaying before that this must end now. there's that video, if you couldn't see this before, this was of the officers entering through the window of the building because when we first went on air we saw all the protesters at the door, so they took the protesters out of the door. who were outside and then we saw at least over 50 NYPD officers coming in through the window and both Mayor Adams and the NYPD emphasizing that they believe it has been outside actors who have tried to hijack this protest that has lasted just over 2 weeks.

Okay, you're taking another look at this video if you're just joining us now you're watching the NYPD. coming in this is this is the file correct video guys this is from before this is from before if you didn't see it before they stopped in their tactical vehicle they opened the ramp our own control Beckford said it sounded like a big boom we don't I don't know what happened to the principle, but they were basically positioning that vehicle on the sidewalk, preparing the ramp for the NYPD officers to respond. The former head of the department, Terry Monan, had told us that once they got in there, their goal was to peacefully get the protest situation under control and we know about the protesters who broke windows and entered Hamilton Hall, we know there are charges that they talked about, that the police talked about before, they could face robbery, criminal trespass in the building and we also have another reporter in On the scene we have Ida Gaviota joining us now from another angle Ida, where are you exactly?

Natalie. I'm on the corner of Amsterdam Avenue and 113th Street. We actually walked here as best we could from where the main action is coming from, which is 116th. Street where they have been listening to Chuy Beckford. I want to show you what it looks like here, we are on the outskirts of the protest, however, we have at least a few hundred people here gathered on this corner looking down or rather north. Amsterdam Avenue and I can tell you that your view from here is two very large NYPD buses and it is on those buses that they are loading the protesters who were arrested a couple blocks north.

We have seen that I have personally seen at least two. Dozens of protesters with plastic handcuffs. There are probably more and they are putting them on these buses as they are taken away. I know Checo has described a rather chaotic scene on 116th Street. I witnessed the same thing myself. We try to get out of that area. reach a media zone established by the NYPD on Broadway and 114th Street, which is also completely closed, but now it is very difficult to move around this area, even on foot, there are barricades at almost every intersection, there are hundreds of police officers at every intersection and there are protesters everywhere and if you can believe it, it seems like the number of protesters might have even increased since all this happened when we were at 116th Street and Amsterdam there was a pen right in front of the doors . to Colombia, where all the protesters gathered, it was right next to Hamilton Hall and there were maybe 200 protesters in that corral and it was peaceful, it was somewhat organized and then once the police came in and decided to get everyone out of there area and especially the protesters who had barricaded themselves inside Hamilton Hall that's when everything changed, that's when people started running, that's when everyone took out their cell phones to start recording, the chants got louder and it was a truly scene chaotic at the time, now the people who did it I don't want them to be arrested, they have dispersed to other corners, some of them by force, others voluntarily, and this is one of those perimeter areas where people have moved and we are listening to the protesters behind me now, someone with a horn singing uh the typical pro-Palestinian protest that we've heard in the last week.

I'm not really sure if people are moving, we see some police officers moving. This whole thing has been an extremely fluid situation, but I can tell you that it's actually starting to rain um and that could work in favor of the police officers who really want all of these people to disperse and go home and it could be the case. Let Mother Nature help the NYPD achieve that goal. Natalie, well, Ida, can you tell me I know? Chuy said a lot of people were mostly quiet where she was, other than the chanting, no one really wanted to talk to our cameras.

Have you chatted with anyone? What they feel? What are they telling you besides the protesters? Excuse me while the NYPD

moves

in, it looks like they're trying to get through 113th Street behind me, here's a to make things more complicated, there's Mount s Medical Center, which is right here on the corner, they have ambulances that they need . pass and it looks like the police right now are trying to escort an ambulance to pass so that's just another dynamic in this whole situation but yeah I haven't been able to talk to anyone individually but yes I heard what they're yelling at the police and many of them shout the word shame.

Many of them say how disappointed they are. I'm hearing a lot of people say: I can't believe this is America. This is the most scandalous thing. What I've ever witnessed things of that nature is what we hear around us as we move through this area, so I keep hearing protests, uh, in that area where you are, Ida, thanks for that look right now, we want to have Back a uh we want to go to chief investigative reporter Jonathan Deaner we have John back with John do you have any new information for us? Yes, we just reached out to an NYPD spokesperson who says there have been no injuries reported so far.

We spoke to another senior police official. who says that inside Hamilton Hall the police have reached the top floor and they are cleaning the top floor of the top floor of Hamilton Hall and the reason it is taking some time is because the hallways were full of soda machines, couches, barricades and chairs were set up so the police had to make their way by dismantling the barricades and go room by room FL by4 to arrest those who had taken over that building again, no injuries were reported. The only thing we have to keep in mind is that there were also flashbangs.

He talked about some banging that he heard, it could have been when the police had set up that ramp to get in through the M window, that they fired those distraction grenades to distract the protesters that might be inside so they could get in. safely and then move on, no tear gas was used according to an NYPD spokesperson, only stun grenades served as a distraction when police entered and some may have been used elsewhere on campus as police He sought to take control. There have been

dozens

of

arrests

, it's too early to know a specific number, as we've seen in some of the photographs we had, the police have literally been bringing buses to take

arrests

away, so there will be

dozens

and dozens of arrests. we assume and again it is expected that the charges will range from trespassing to theft to vandalism uh depending on where the arrest took place again uh the protest is allowed to continue outside on the public streets this is Colombia University asking for the police to come in and take the control and secure their campus that had been taken over by protesters, so we've seen police activity again throughout Amsterdam, along Broadway, moving forward to secure the inside of the campus, but the reason chanting is still heard and the protests outside are because those who are legally gathering and protesting off campus can continue and as Ida said, the rain is starting to fall as seen in that video of that line of police officers, which will be interesting to see if that has any effect on the crowd that has gathered outside the campus, so again, the latest update reported no injuries.

Police are inside Hamilton Hall still securing the building

making

their way through barricades of soda machines, couches, chairs, hallways filled with debris. They work their way, they have cleared most of the floors that are now, I'm told, on the top floor and there are numerous protesters or people occupying the building on the top floor there and the police will make additional arrests once they clear the hallway and we can't go from room to room on the top floor of Hamilton Hall and John just to clarify also, we hope they go to the encampments as well, not just Hamilton Hall, the University had called for the protesters to be cleared and we have It was understood that yes, any of the protests that were inappropriate on campus are being cleared and that the university had asked all students who are on campus to remain in their dorms and stay in their housing, because this police action was going to be detained again, an NYPD spokesperson says no injuries have been reported so far and that the gunshots you may have heard were stun grenades used as a distraction when police tried to enter Hamilton Hall John, thanks, we'll be in touch with you shortly 10 later 10 As we speak, the NYPD has closed in on the protesters at Columbia University, we have our teams on the ground giving them full coverage tonight, you are watching the NYPD live here New York, walking the streets surrounding Columbia University, we know that the protesters Now we moved outside the university, we know that some who were at the outer gate headed towards Ida Seagull and also returned towards News Force Chie Beckford Chie, we're going to get back to you, yeah, now we're still here, this kind of Ida.

We predicted this would happen, but it's raining here and it's raining at a relatively even rate and we've seen some of the protesters actually clear the crowd. He looks a lot thinner than before, so it seems like that's what he's had. an impact that Mother Nature is stepping in to help alleviate the situation to some extent. I want to show you, although, uh, Hugh Hugh sneden, my photojournalist Hugh snon is focused right now on the pedestrian bridge over Amsterdam Avenue, which is basically a little bit to the right of the door here, the main door and we can see a number of people, I would say dozens of people standing on that bridge right now, probably been there for the last time, I would say.

About 15 minutes in and at one point some of them were chanting, it's not clear if they were just students or if they were some of the protesters who have now taken a new position, uh, but yeah, they were standing in the rain. here also along with several professional spectators and protesters tonight, okay, I don't know whose camera we have here, but we're getting a shot of the ground here, I don't know if they could pan for us we were there, come on, there there's the shot of the bridge, okay, there's Chie, talk to that one more time now that we have the shot of the bridge up, okay, yeah, yeah, Nat, so that bridge is a p looks like a pedestrian. bridge that crosses Amsterdam Avenue uh and uh you can see what looks like dozens of people standing there uh it looks like some of them are students it looks like some of them have masks on which we've seen uh features of several of the protesters So it looks like that there is some possibility that they came from that area as well.

They've been there for probably the last 15 minutes or so. They don't seem to be deterred by the rain. Actually, it seems like the crowd has grown. a little uh, but the crowd here on the ground around us has definitely started to thin out as a result of the weather Chuy, thank you, we'll let you stay there at the scene, we want to get back to the news for Ida Seagull because we know. Ida is there on the other side Ida has changed the situation at all where you are um I know you can't see me in C oh okay, I don't know if Ida can hear me right now, but I just want to take a moment, since we found out about this shortly after 9:00, we received a statement in the last 30 minutes from Columbia University about why they called the police tonight and made the decision.

This was something that was expected at one time, especially tonight. when the police said that if they got the call they would move, but basically part of the Columbia University statement says that the leadership team, including the Board of Trustees, met overnight and early in the morning Consulting with experts in security in law enforcement to determine the best plan to protect our students and the entire Colombian community said they made the decision early in the morning that this was a police matter and that the NYPD was in the best position to determine and execute an appropriate response so we can take over making the decision Early in the morning it was after that Breakin at Hamilton Hall overnight, okay I think the news ForceIda CAN YOU HEARD ME NOW Ida, yes, I hear you Natalie, yes, we are back on the same corner 113 in Amsterdam, there are a few hundred people at this intersection. kind of spread out on both sides of the street and what they're chanting right now and what they've been chanting for the last five minutes, I would say, is let the students go, assuming that the majority of the people who are being arrested are students , let the students go is what these people are singing uh in this inter at this intersection um interestingly today we heard from Mayor Adams and the police commissioner who believed that the people who had broken into Hamilton Hall were not students um and presumably they were the main targets of the NYPD when they came in and made arrests, especially in the building that had been occupied and in some ways intensified the tension on the campus and the protests and the call from University officials for the police to New York will come in and finally clean up. campus that said that while they may have arrested the so-called professional agitators who the NYPD said they knew had participated in similar protests across the country, despite the arrests of the so-called professionals, there have been arrests of many , many students.

What We Have Witnessed I witnessed a woman being carried away by four different officers, one officer on each limb of her body as they took her down Amsterdam Avenue. She clearly didn't follow a direction to go and she didn't want to go like that. That's what they're dealing with here and yes, we still have large crowds here. 113th Street Natalie, it's okay, Ida Seagull, we really appreciate that in the midst of rising tensions throughout the company, we know that the NYPD has approached the protesters tonight at Columbia University in