University police officers say New York schools unprepared for anti-Israel protests
(Daily Caller News Foundation) – City University of New York (CUNY) police officers are concerned that the schools are not ready to handle potential anti-Israel protests during the fall semester,…
(Daily Caller News Foundation) – City University of New York (CUNY) police officers are concerned that the schools are not ready to handle potential anti-Israel protests during the fall semester, the New York Post reported.
There have been no meetings regarding potential protests and officers could be outnumbered if an unexpected protest occurs, officers told the NYP on the condition of anonymity. The CUNY system, which includes 25 campuses, saw several protests break out during the spring semester, one of which included taking over a Graduate Center library.
“There have been no meetings about any of this,” a CUNY officer told the NYP. “Ever since the encampment ended, everyone went on vacation. There’s no ‘Let’s prepare for September.”
“It’s going to be bad,” another officer told the NYP. “Our numbers just aren’t there. If there’s a spontaneous protest that we don’t have any knowledge of, we’re going to be outnumbered – just by the sheer number of students enrolled, we’re outnumbered.”
The officers cited CUNY Executive Public Safety Director André Brown’s “hands off” approach to policing, as well as his hiring of private security contractors who they claim lacked formal training on crowd control, according to the NYP.
Protesters at the City College of New York’s Upper Manhattan campus caused over $3 million in damage during a spring anti-Israel protest, the NYP reported. CUNY had spent $4 million in security for extra officers for the City College and other campuses in a contract with Security Services Corp.
Protesters also occupied the CUNY Graduate Center library, attempting to rename it “The Al Aqsa University Library,” the NYP reported.
“The safety of the campus community is totally not their concern,” a CUNY officer told the NYP. “They’re not concerned about the students and the staff. They’re worried about their image and making sure the students express their freedom of speech.”
CUNY and the CUNY Public Safety Department did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. André Brown was unable to be reached.
