One example, from just up the Ivy-garlanded I-95, at Brown University, was announced just hours before Shafik again called in the police. Brown’s governing body agreed to vote on a proposal that would divest the school’s endowment of companies affiliated with Israel in a meeting in October. The proposal is based on a 2020 Advisory Committee on Corporation Responsibility in Investment Practices that identified and recommended divestment from “companies that facilitate the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory,” per the Brown Daily Herald.

In exchange, the university’s nonviolent student protesters agreed to vacate their encampment by 5 p.m. that afternoon.

Another plausible outcome from California: When a similar encampment went up a few days ago at the University of California, Irvine, it seemed likely that police might sweep the protesters away. Orange County sheriff’s deputies began to appear in riot gear near the protest.

But, rather than traffic in vague allegations of misconduct before hiding behind a belligerent mayor and an aggressive police force, like Shafik, the UC–Irvine administration took a much different tack. “UC Irvine respects the rights of any students to engage in free speech and expression including lawful protest,” the school said in a prepared statement. This, remember, is at a public school, where keeping public police forces away is more challenging than a private enclave like Columbia.

And in fact, Irvine’s mayor did get involved in the action. Not long after that, Mayor Farrah N. Khan issued a resounding statement declaring that she would not tolerate any violation of students’ free speech or right to assembly. “I am asking our law enforcement to stand down. I will not tolerate any violations to our students’ rights to peacefully assemble and protest.” She asked the deputies to leave, and they did.

Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20240502114414/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/05/columbia-student-protests-nypd-shafik-escalation.html

  • Grobmobularb@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Cops love to beat up people protesting genocide but they won’t run into a classroom of kids being murdered because they’re too afraid.

    • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      There hasn’t been a school shooting in NYC in decades. Kids know the NYPD is not afraid to shoot them. They’re bullies with badges.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Can’t help but wonder what would happen if Columbia’s students were armed.

      I know there’s a guy who said something about this once, a long time ago. German fellow with a big beard. Wrote a few economics texts. Gah, it escapes me.

    • ZK686@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Oh brother, here we go… let us know when you’re going to join your local police department and show those cops how it’s supposed to be done!

        • ZK686@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Then just sit there and enjoy your life tough guy. There’s people literally dying to be part of this country… you’re part of this “cops suck” movement who have no idea just how good you have it.