Mayor Eric Adams asserted on Thursday that Columbia University and other private colleges must contribute financially towards the expenses incurred by the NYPD during the recent intervention to quell pro-terror protests on the Ivy League campus.
The New York Post reported that Adams emphasized the need for these institutions to shoulder their share of the costs.
Adams further addressed the taxpayer burden in the aftermath of law enforcement’s intervention to remove a destructive mob from Columbia’s Hamilton Hall academic building and clear an encampment from the school’s lawn.
“We believe that they, too, should contribute to the cost,” Mayor Adams said.
“One way to prevent the costs from escalating is to have a zero tolerance,” he continued. “As soon as the tents go up, it comes down. Do not allow this to continue to expand. That is what we saw at Columbia University and that is what we saw at CUNY as well.”
Law enforcement officers faced dramatic circumstances during their intervention at Columbia, including the need to position a ramp against the historic building to facilitate entry through second-floor windows after rioters barricaded themselves inside, the Post reported.
The outlet highlighted that law enforcement officers also confronted violent clashes with protesters at the City College of New York campus in Harlem. And more than 280 anti-Israel demonstrators were arrested at both the Columbia and CCNY campuses during the NYPD operation.
Adams addressed the financial implications of this operation, citing ongoing discussions with private institutions, especially Columbia University, in light of recent protests. However, Fordham University received praise from the mayor for swiftly managing their protests.
Adams commended Fordham’s president for preventing escalation, emphasizing the immediate action taken to resolve the situation. “I have to really commend Fordham University. I spoke with the president yesterday. She was very clear on not allowing this to escalate,” he said.
“As you saw, immediate action was taken and it was not a prolonged situation like we saw on other grounds,” he added.
The mayor’s call for elite colleges to bear the financial burden of such incidents followed criticism from a bipartisan group of city officials Wednesday, the Post reports.
They expressed frustration that Columbia University, at the request of its president Minouche Shafik, required police presence until May 17 to prevent further unrest before commencement.
In a fiery missive addressed to Columbia University officials, nine council members, spearheaded by Queens Republican Joann Ariola, Staten Island Minority Leader Joe Borelli, and Queens Democrat Bob Holden, squarely placed the responsibility for the current predicament on the institution.
“Columbia created this mess and Columbia — not New Yorkers — should pay to clean it up,” they asserted.
The letter stated, “New York City has very real problems that must be prioritized,” adding, “babysitting spoiled students, activist professors, and professional protestors on an Ivy League campus is not one of them.”
The council members suggested that if Columbia requires law enforcement presence, it should engage with the NYPD’s paid details unit, which specializes in providing security for private premises.
The lawmakers highlighted the financial capability of the institution, pointing out Columbia’s hefty tuition fees of over $68,000 annually and its substantial endowments totaling $13.6 billion.
“You certainly can afford it,” they concluded, underlining their demand for Columbia to foot the bill for security measures.
The post Mayor Adams Demands Columbia University Help Pay For Cost Of NYPD Raid On Pro-Palestine Rioters appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
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Author: Jordyn M.
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