Resistance at Columbia New Era Peacenicks
Revolutionary Miracle on 116th Street ~ Student Revolt Gaining Momentum
When NYPD prepare for crowd control they are unrivaled professionals with fencing arranged to kettle and redirect pedestrians with precision and planning Congress and Capitol Police could learn a great deal from.
The campus had one entry point with Columbia ID only but I spotted a table for pre-registered media so I gave it a shot… never know if you don’t try.
Luckily my park photographer badge with Free Palestine sweatshirt made the cut and our small group was escorted on a guided tour the encampment with special request to respect individual privacy when taking pictures and do not enter any building but the cafe with bathrooms… perfect!
Columbia’s campus is magnificent and designed with thoughts of grandeur, sweeping lawns and massive structures, carefully arranged to create a sense of intimacy among the imposing structures, almost mocking reminder how small one person is compared to this institutional fortress. Hallowed halls of blue blooded, Ivy Leauge all lean into the same esthetic from their brick and mortar to blockhead consensus opinions.
There had to be more than 100 tents and the area they occupy is part of the seating area for graduation ceremonies. They’re not obstructing anything by any stretch of the imagination. After the NYPD eviction & arrests yesterday student numbers increased and cops manning the perimeter seemed extra chill, not a zip tie handcuff or piece of riot gear in sight. It felt almost as if the optics and blowback of mass arrests had made use of force a less appealing option, for the moment anyway.
At first glance it evokes memories of Occupy Wall Street but the mood is very different. Solidarity here is rooted in collective mourning.
Rather than outrage about a rigged system, this coallition is clear in its demands to stop the carnage, free Palestine then stop war profiteer investments.
If you want to cry there are thousands of tiny flags with names of martyred. Some have whole families that perished together or a few at a time.. some students can share those stories if you want a dose of heartbreak with the tears.
We are watching a Holocaust facilitated by Washington’s Teflon Dons with American tax dollars. Imagining possibilities for memorial flags only hints at the horror.
Jewish Voices for Peace are the largest group in the occupation… so much for antisemitism myth and a flag waving Zionist ignored by everyone but press showed opposing opinions are welcome to compete in the marketplace of ideas unhindered.
Corporate media stupidity was on full display with top buck crew and gear dispatched to do location reporting but staying far from where anything is really happening. Heaven forbid they share any meaningful images for the audience to form their own opinions. We can take this example of these dipsticks live outside the gates a full mile from the students and apply it to any war zone, any disaster, any policy or event.
Maybe it’s the old hippie in me that imagined the end to Vietnam was the end to perpetual war but it sure seems as if this generation has a hold on reality that flies in the face of our notions of living in virtual reality and maybe more invested in the belief they can shape reality. The Flickr album should be up tomorrow; this is a preview and meish rant for my favorite rebels. Solidarity encampments are spreading across the country and I hope to see what NYU and New School are up to this week but until human rights is a global norm I’ll see you in the streets! <3
Occupy was a non movement that made no demands.
I only heard thru garland Nixon, that 100 were arrested at Columbia. I am sure Victoria nuland will be happy to teach folks how to coup and kill, during her tenure with Hilary the murderess who is already a professor there. What do the war criminal professors claim to profess?
Death and killing poor helpless people
Kudos to the students! and thank you for showing a true picture of what is actually happening on the campus ground. The extent of false reporting is thru the roof, it's incomprehensible to me that this continues. The war in Vietnam came to an end largely thanks to the students; dare I hope for a repeat? Meanwhile, here in Europe people are .... never mind, it's too depressing to think about