NEW YORK – Charges were dropped Thursday against most Columbia University students and staff who were arrested inside Hamilton Hall during pro-Palestinian demonstrations in April.
The Manhattan District Attorney's office announced of the 46 people accused of trespassing, 31 cases were dismissed for lack of evidence. The prosecutor's office said surveillance cameras inside the building had been covered and no police officers were injured during the arrests.
Prosecutors told 14 others that their cases would be dropped if they avoided arrest in the next six months, but they rejected that offer, the DA's office said. Of these 14, only two are studentsprosecutors said.
A fifteenth defendant whose trespassing charge was not dropped also faces unrelated charges of burning a flag during a Columbia protest and breaking an NYPD camera while being held in a holding cell , the prosecutor's office said.
A group of Columbia students spoke outside Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday to address the dropped charges.
“The state has once again tried to divide us, dismissing some of our cases and offering other deals in line with their outside agitator narrative,” said one student. “As always, we categorically reject this division as drawn along arbitrary, classist lines intended to preserve the sanctity of Columbia University, not an institution in New York City, but always above and beyond it.”
Students and staff no longer facing criminal charges still face ongoing school disciplinary proceedings, prosecutors said.
The prosecutor's office said, however, that it continues to pursue cases of assaults against police officers.
The arrests ended two weeks of demonstrations at Columbia Universityas the students asked at school divest companies that do business with Israel. Demonstrators had set up camp on the school's main lawnand some they forced their way inside Hamilton Hall after discussions with school officials.
Minouche Shafik, President of Columbia University then enlisted the help of the NYPD to clear the room.
