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Fury as woke Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg drops charges against dozens of anti-Israel protesters who stormed Columbia University
Progressive Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office let dozens of anti-Israel protesters arrested at Columbia University in April off the hook, dropping criminal charges against them Thursday.
Columbia University protestors who stormed Hamilton Hall were marched onto awaiting NYPD buses last night to applause from cheering locals on April 30.
Police arrested the demonstrators after they barricaded themselves inside the building, and cleared a weeks-old tent encampment on a nearby Columbia lawn that has inspired similar anti-Israel protests at universities around the world.
All 46 protesters, who were arrested on the night of April 30 about 20 hours after taking over the academic building, were initially charged with trespass in the third degree, a misdemeanor.
Stephen Millan, a prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney's office, told the court on Thursday his office would not prosecute 30 protesters who were Columbia students at the time of the arrest, nor two who were Columbia employees.
Progressive Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office let over 40 anti-Israel protesters arrested at Columbia University in April off the hook, dropping criminal charges against them Thursday
Pro-Palestinian student protesters who had been arrested for occupying and barricading a building at Columbia University react following a hearing, where criminal charges against them had been dropped
He cited prosecutorial discretion and lack of evidence. A case against another student was dismissed earlier in the month.
Millan said protesters had covered surveillance cameras, and there was insufficient evidence to show that any individual defendant damaged property or injured anyone.
No police officers were injured during the arrests, the prosecutor noted.
Pictures and video taken of the aftermath show the hall's trashed interior strewn with activists' belongings.
Columbia's President Minouche Shafik called in the NYPD in to 'restore order and safety' to the campus amid the escalating protests.
A similar raid saw demonstrators arrested across at nearby City College New York, where similar protests unfolded.
Protestors at City College in Harlem had raised a Palestine flag on the campus, which officers last night replaced with the stars and stripes.
Footage taken on the ground shows one officer tossing the flag aside before later raising Old Glory on the flagpole.
Columbia University protestors who stormed Hamilton Hall were marched onto awaiting NYPD buses to applause from cheering locals on April 30
On Thursday, however, the Manhattan DA allowed many of them to walk free without charges
None of the arrested students had any prior criminal history, and all were facing disciplinary proceedings, including suspensions and expulsions, by Columbia.
'All these matters are dismissed and sealed in the interest of justice,' Judge Kevin McGrath announced in the courtroom where dozens of defendants and their supporters appeared with keffiyeh scarves around their shoulders.
The scarves have become a symbol of the pro-Palestinian movement.
Prosecutors declined to outright drop trespass charges against 13 other people arrested inside Hamilton Hall that night.
Two of the 13 were also Columbia students, while the other 11 had no current affiliation with the school, although most were alumni.
The district attorney's office proposed the 13 accept an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal, a provision in New York law that if accepted means the case against a defendant will be dropped and sealed in six months if they are not arrested for another offense in the interim.
All 13 rejected the offer through their lawyers, and due to return to court on July 25, by which date prosecutors must decide if they are willing to proceed to a trial over the trespass charges.
Another arrested protester accepted the offer earlier in June.
None of the arrested students had any prior criminal history, and all were facing disciplinary proceedings, including suspensions and expulsions, by Columbia
Hundreds of officers stormed the campus, with officers going through an upstairs window at the historic building, after students barricaded the entrance
The occupation followed weeks of unrest at Columbia, which began with the establishment of the encampment on April 17.
Protesters set up tents after Shafik was grilled before Congress about anti-Semitism on campus.
They repeatedly ignored calls to disband, with the demonstrations ramping up early Tuesday with the violent takeover of Hamilton Hall.
After two weeks of chaos, which saw classes moved online and facilities shuttered, Shafik finally called in the police who managed to clear out the campus in just two hours.
Protesters have been demanding the college divest from companies with links to Israel or firms profiting from its war on Hamas.
They have taken inspiration from previous student-led protests, such as the successful 1985 campaign to get the university to divest from South Africa 's apartheid regime.
Many Jewish students and their supporters are angry that it took so long for officials to crack down on the protests amid allegations of anti-Semitism.
The demonstrations also came at a time when many students were cramming for finals, causing maximum disruption.
Protestors at City College had raised a Palestine flag on the campus, which officers last night replaced with the stars and stripes
Protesters have been demanding the college divest from companies with links to Israel or firms profiting from its war on Hamas
Bragg led the prosecution as former president Donald Trump was found guilty on on all 34 felony counts after a very brief deliberation. He faces sentencing on July 11.
He is considered one of the leaders of a new 'progressive DA' movement, one of several funded by left-wing billionaire George Soros.
In February, it was revealed that Bragg has downgraded a staggering 60 percent of felony cases to lesser charges in the last year, data from his office shows.
The DA reduced 938 of the most serious charged in 2023, 834 of which were brought down to misdemeanors.
Under Bragg, the percentage of felonies downgraded has increased to 60 - up from 53 percent under his predecessor.
His team defended the figures stating the office's performance is on par with other New York boroughs and higher when it comes to felony convictions.
Bragg, who campaigned on a promise of criminal justice reform, issued a controversial 'Day One' memo after taking office stating he would only seek prison time in the most severe cases.
It comes amid fury over criminals being allowed to roam the streets of the Big Apple, which continues to be rocked by a violent crime wave.
Police use a vehicle named 'the bear' to enter Hamilton Hall from a public street, which was occupied by protesters, as other officers enter the campus of Columbia University
is considered one of the leaders of a new 'progressive DA' movement, one of several funded by left-wing billionaire George Soros
Since being sworn in on January 1, 2022, the DA has also declined to prosecute 14 percent of all arrests, compared to just nine percent in 2021 when his predecessor was last in post.
However, overall arrests screened by his office was up by more than a third compared to 2021.
But this will be of little comfort to victims of the most serious crimes, with the data showing that Bragg's office has secured a felony conviction just 52 percent of the time, down from 65 percent in 2021.
Bragg has been criticized for his soft-on-crime policies, which include calling on prosecutors to ditch felony armed robbery charges and instead charge suspects with petit larceny and not seeking carceral sentences for criminals.
Crime in New York City, has decreased by .032 percent since before the pandemic, but the decrease is not enough for many who feel unsafe in Manhattan.
MAGA operatives have accused Bragg of having a political agenda.
'Alvin Bragg is a disgrace. He cares more about targeting Joe Biden's political opponent than protecting New Yorkers from rapists, murderers, and robbers.' Alex Pfeiffer, spokesman for Make America Great Again Inc said.
Meanwhile victims of crime have also expressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of justice.