Nearly all protesters charged with storming and occupying Columbia University’s campus during anti-Israel demonstrations won’t face criminal charges, Manhattan prosecutors announced Thursday.
District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office dismissed cases against 31 of 46 people charged with trespassing in Hamilton Hall after a dramatic April 30 NYPD raid. Prosecutors cited a lack of evidence, such as security video footage, to tie the students or staff to the building takeover.
“This is turnstile justice,” Michael Nussbaum, a 25-year member of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, told the NY Post. “This is a green light for chaos, a green light for destroying property.”
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Stephen Millan said prosecutors had trouble moving forward with charges due to “extremely limited” video surveillance and no police injuries. The protesters wore masks, making it difficult to identify individual actions, the DA’s office added.
Students and staffers at Columbia, Barnard, or the Union Theological Seminary who had their charges dropped face disciplinary action by the school, which factored into the decision. Notorious protester Aidan Parisi, 27, a postgrad student, was among those whose cases were dismissed.
The lone remaining Hamilton Hall defendant is James Carlson, who faces hate crime, assault, and petit larceny charges for allegedly torching an Israel supporter’s flag and hitting the 22-year-old in the face with a rock. Prosecutors plan to move forward with charges against Carlson, dubbed a “wannabe bad boy.”
Defense attorney Matthew W. Daloisio argued that 14 individuals, including 12 unaffiliated with the Ivy League school, should have their cases tossed immediately, as no one was hurt or damaged property.
Police sources expressed disbelief, saying, “Lack of evidence? Apparently body-worn camera wasn’t enough?” and “We have a DA giving them what amounts to a mandate to push the envelope further now.”
Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, a former trustee on the governing board for CUNY, said it strained belief that authorities couldn’t identify anyone. “How can it be that you can’t identify a single person? It’s not acceptable and it’s not good for the city.”
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8 Responses
And this is coming from a person who was determined to prosecute Trump. Saying that NYC is a state of laws, he makes himself more ridiculous day by day.
Not mind boggling at all . I would have been supposed in Bragg DID prosecute them. They do not fit into the political or racial class that he prosecutes for crime.
He is a “progressive” (i.e. WOKE) Democrat who believes that the legal system should be focused on political results, not justice. So how is it “mind boggling” that he refuses to prosecute people for engaging in “politically correct” behavior that his party endorses, e.g. supporting anti-Semitism and advocating our genocide.
It would have been mind boggling for a public prosecutor in Germany in the 1940s prosecuted Nazis for killing Jews. Use that as a guideline to what “mind boggling” is defined as.
All the hype regarding these so called “INVESTIGATIONS INTO ANTISEMITISM” these past few months with so many stories, is all a bunch of fraud, just to keep everyone it affects from keeping quiet until they’re let out free. The only INVESTIGATION they ever took seriously is Jan 06th, until today that INVESTIGATION continues. You see, since it affects them directly, that’s all they’re worried about.. just a bunch of haughty politicians
Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, a former trustee on the governing board for CUNY, said it strained belief that authorities couldn’t identify anyone. “How can it be that you can’t identify a single person? It’s not acceptable and it’s not good for the city.”
Exactly. But former President Trump they were able to identify, many years after the Statute of limitations had expired. Black Democrat operatives Bragg and James are as corrupt and in on the take as one can possibly get.
Only 2 items must he tossed & nothing else:-
1) The absolute bogus charges against President Donald Trump שליט”א
2) bragg ימח שמו וזכרונו must immediately be tossed into the river:- We can let him pick East River or Hudson River.
Every other criminal from Columbia university & summer 2020 riots MUST be prosecuted & severely punished
it’s astonishing that 12 of the 14 arrested were “unaffiliated with the ivy league school”. and how much were they paid, to “protest”?
Justice is no longer part of the American way.