Students continue to protest after police arrested over 170 demonstrators from the CUNY Gaza solidarity encampment at City College on April 30.
Although many charges that were brought against the protestors were dropped, many individuals are still due in court and must face misdemeanor and felony charges in June, according to a report from The City.
The protestors are demanding, among other things, for the charges be dropped, the school system divest from corporations funding Israel, and for CUNY to become tuition-free.
Several demonstrations have happened at Hunter College since the police raided the encampment. Recently, a letter defending students accused of violating the Code of Conduct during one of the protests on campus has gained over 300 signatures.
One of the people charged with trespassing at City College was the student president of Hunter College, Bashir Juwara.
When students at Columbia were arrested for occupying a building, they were charged with trespassing, but when CUNY students were arrested for occupying a building, they were charged with burglary. Some of the protestors have called it discrimination against a community with more lower-income students of color.
“No students deserve this much force and brutality by NYPD, and the fact that they were called by our own chancellor is really really disappointing,” said Juwara in a post to social media the next morning following his arrest.
The CUNY administration said the arrests were in response to acts of vandalism, property damage, a fire, and a “break-in.”
“Tonight’s actions were taken in response to specific and repeated acts of violence and vandalism, not in response to peaceful protests,” said a statement from CUNY hours after the arrests.
Protestors at the CUNY Graduate Center on May 14 convinced the school president to forward an email to the chancellor stating their demands. They have yet to hear a response.
