I’m still reeling from last night’s appalling violence and fascistic show of force (all under a so-called Democratic administration). My thoughts on behalf of Jews for Racial & Economic Justice, below.

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Organizing is the antidote. Join JFREJ! jfrej.org/become-a-member

25 protesters within the pro-Palestine encampment were hospitalized overnight, a UC Divest at UCLA spokesperson said in a press conference.

“If you can’t take the outcry, stop supporting this war.”

Ok….so.. We have members of congress demanding a militarized DC police force disband a peaceful campus protest against a war on a civilian population underwritten by our tax dollars. And 99% of the media is egging this on. Just wanted to make sure I had that right before I plotz

I feel like I'm losing my mind a little: people understand that 'occupying buildings on campus' is, like, one of the most common forms of studen protest for decades and not some devious new ploy devised by professional anarchist plotters, right?

I keep going back to this as well. Columbia University had plenty of time to prepare a rebuttal in Congress that could have exposed the MAGA agenda behind its inflammatory bad-faith hearings. Instead, Shafik gave them exactly what they wanted. Last night’s violence was a direct outcome 💔

CW: footage of police violence

JFREJ members are outside CCNY supporting the student protestors. We've seen violence from the NYPD:
-charging the crowd
-kettling
-throwing protestors to the ground
-beating them with batons
-indiscriminate arrests without warning

Just heard on WKCR-FM NY that Columbia University has asked the NYPD to stay on campus until May 17 “to ensure the encampments do not get re-established.” Trading leadership for violent repression. Cowardly, shameful, unforgivable.

In a country where children go hungry, people die unhoused and libraries are only open part time, this is where our resources go

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A handful of elite schools — Brown, Wesleyan, Johns Hopkins — seem to have handled the Palestine protests gracefully.

Their successful approach: don't send cops after students, talk seriously with the protestors, and enforce *preexisting* codes about speech and harassment.

WKCR, Columbia U’s station, reports such a surge in listeners tuning in on line to their terrific live coverage that they had to go off air for a sec to switch to lower sound quality to accomodate the demand on the stream. If you can switch to FM signal, they recommend it: 89.9

God protect these students. The amount of force arrayed against their nonviolent protest is obscene.

NOW: In the last few minutes, the size of the crowd at 140th and Amsterdam has roughly doubled

One of the newly arrived protesters brought a saxophone

I spent a few hours at the CCNY encampment yesterday - it was beautiful and peaceful. Shame on the administrators unleashing violence on NYC’s brave student protestors tonight 💔

I thought everyone from every walk of life had already marched on Chuck Schumer to wake up and stop arming Israeli massacres and forced starvation.

Then came the children of Jews for Racial & Economic Justice ❤️🍉

(photos by my kid)

White supremacists are now marching in Charleston, West Virginia. With no police in sight.

💯 co-sign! Thank you, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action.