Featured, On Campus, On-Campus Developing - by Lucas Pattan on Friday, February 20, 2009 4:00 - 26 Comments - 132 views
Instead, the crowd grew and grew while masked strangers carrying bullhorns and drums incited cheers and songs, but at the end of the night, there was little to show for all the hubbub that had brought these excited students together. There were easily more than one hundred police officers, two ambulances (for precautionary measures, the drivers insisted), and approximately five mounted officers (one of the night’s most memorable images) gathered before the Kimmel Center. Mace was used at one point to squelch an attempted bum rush of the Kimmel’s front lobby, and an arrest occurred after a student allegedly struck a cop. But the activity of the night was generally muted as all eyes peered towards their watches, waiting for 1am to arrive.
Earlier in the evening, the NYU administration had stated to the occupiers of the Kimmel Center that at 1:00am, any offers of an easy exit would be taken off the table and more drastic measures applied. The students, through texts and blogs, came to the collective conclusion that such a statement meant the night could end with expulsions, forceful detainment, and multiple arrests.
With nearly 700 students joining together at 12:59am, the air was rife with anticipation that the evening’s previous threat would breed the kind of scene that would grace the cover of The New York Post or The Daily News, and, if the stars aligned, would garner a blurb on the twenty-third page of The New York Times’ Friday edition.
But what happened at 1:00am was a sad display of what our university plans on doing over this pressing issue: they pussied out.
No officers entered the building. No arrests were made. No tear gas filled the Kimmel Cafeteria. And no drastic action occurred, despite the threats of Bob Butler, Lynn Brown, and John Beckman.
So what does this mean for the protest and the stance TBNYU! has taken? Well, it shows that these remaining twenty students have the balls to stand up to their administration. They faced an imminent threat of something that could fundamentally alter their futures, and instead of trembling in the face of this probable future, they stood strong. Regardless of how you feel about the group’s goals or methodology, it is important to recognize that, for this one instance, David beat Goliath.
As it stands, the amnesty the students so greatly desire is still not on the table and the safe harbor deal offered by Bob Butler of OSA has been removed (after the students unanimously rejected it), at least until tomorrow, at which time we expect a similar offer to be put back into play.
So for now, the students may again sleep on the cold floor of Kimmel, smoke their remaining clove cigarettes on the balcony they broke their property-damage resolution for, rub their eyes as the cold glare of fluorescent lighting streams down upon them, and dine on the unquestionable deliciousness of mashed potatoes and ludicrous demands.
Photo by Mickey Lewitter.
26 Comments
Chris Kennedy
Great job in there fellas! Stay strong!
What Should Happen To the Remaining TBNYU!ers? | NYU Local
[...] showed you what didn’t happen last night, what do you think should happen to the remaining TBNYU! Kimmel occupants [...]
Jess M
I’ve been watching the streaming of video, reading the twitters and paying attention to nyulocal.com. As a former NYU Student who had to drop out due to not having any funding or support, I have to say that I am so proud of TakeBackNYU! I couldn’t even get my deans to talk to me over an verbally abusive professor failing me. (BTW: Whatever you do, don’t take World Cultures: Africa with Solo Hammond.) I also had to deal with the nut that is the “email phobic” Prof. Helen Podiza (Writing Workshop 1), whoms main goal in life is to root out what she ignorantly perceives black sociopaths (6 degrees of separation is her fave). My final paper for her class was never returned to me and she just ignored my polite questions as to the whereabouts of my information. I’m glad she’s hearing some noise near by her quaint little Village free housing. Anyway, the NYPD is really careful not to screw with rich white kids who will sue and get mad sympathy from the press. Like, they can deal with murdering Sean Bell via 50 Shots and someone they know well like Al Sharpton. I believe the University will eventually meet with the students but no real change will occur. I happened to have seen Ann Deveare Smith during NYU’s Black history week last year and she talked about helping the poor. Perhaps she’s now gotten very comfortable as tenure, who knows? Regarding the demands, I think some are too idealistic and broadly focused. Just budget disclosure would be a big step. You can forget about the scholarships for the Palestinians, I don’t think the Bronfman center/Bloomberg would approve. A positive note about NYU is that since the suicides of 04/5′, the Wellness campaign the University has implemented is quite real and sincere. Also, I suppose due to the Bobst Boy, I wasn’t thrown out on the street when I couldn’t pay my dorm fees. But, I had students such as Maya Leon and others from some flake organization called Students on Color Activism that kept ambushing me while talking about their “homes”and so on… My advise is to beware of what the FreeBoozeInspires will do. Let’s just say you’ll be making a lot of new friends who are just like you! Also, you may be stalked on campus like I was at a point. Even when I am at Esperanto, this TA in black would act all paranoid and discuss stuff about the CIA and what I was doing at a free public space near NYU. (Trust me if I worked for the CIA he’d never have gotten home safely!! 
)) Also, avoid Canterbury NYU’s pastors Kooperkamp/Merz for they have no souls. Lastly, what can happen to an Olsen twin can happen to you to! Sending lots of respect!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jess<3
Sophia Tarabicos
I’m not surprised nothing happend. You’ve said it before: the University would prefer to not make a scene. The only people making a scene are the would-be rioters outside and TBNYU!. As an observer from my computer, I have say that the only way I’m finding this to be intense or exhilerating would be in the adrenalin of being in a crowd and over pure speculation on the outcome. To be clear, no one seems to care about the demands anymore; the only thing people are dicussing (perhaps not you, Luke, but others) is ‘oh my gosh, what’s happening to them? such radicals!’ and things of that nature.
TBNYU! needs to figure out how to control themselves when they’re not sleeping. Constant motion will throw everyone off, and continue to dissillusion peers and administrators. Unfortunately for us, their solution seems to have taken the form of press exclusion. So much for practicing as you preach.
Stay strong; we’re proud of you!
michael
I think the students that are held up protesting should be publicly beaten for being assholes and fucking up the education process for others. If they want to be trouble makers move to fucking Iraq. Bunch of Dickheads!
Jack De Stefano
You can’t expect the administration to do much; many of them were alive in the ’60s and witnessed how not to handle these types of situations. Instead at 1AM TBNYU was given a damn good offer. Not many students get the opportunity to meet with senior administrators on a semi-regular basis. I should also add that their first demand was met. But now their rejection means that anything can happen to them. Someone in this will be held responsible for property damage, whether it’s one person or a few people or all of TBNYU.
Two things are going to lead to a drop in morale for TBNYU: 1) it’s Friday morning and significantly fewer people will be on campus, and 2) last night’s riot will cause fewer people to stand outside of Kimmel due to increased security and fear of being harmed. At this point, TBNYU has three days until they can get the attention of the student body again, and more people will leave over that period of time. At some point they will run out of vegan food and wearing down a little, the question is when.
patrisha z
does anyone understand the reasoning for TBNYU not taking the “safe harbor” deal? It looked extremely reasonable.
I still say shoot the little snots. Stop negotiating; stop allowing this to spill into violent episodes in the streets. Warn them to come out wil their hands up, give them a fixed deadline, and then put out the lights, break in the doors, and shoot anyone who resists.
They have been offered more than they should have and refused and all the while have acted as a bunch of over-entitled children.
@patrisha z
Do self-appointed revolutionaries really have reasoning?
Aditi Rajaram
To agree with Sophia: I’m not surprised nothing happened, either. Look at the amount of press this is generating, and think about the PR NYU would get if it ACTUALLY arrested its own students.
On another note – good 4am reporting, Luke!
Bob Jones
@Jess M
If your papers were anything like the screed you wrote here, I would have failed you too. Somehow, you managed to get into NYU without a functional knowledge of English spelling and grammar; it’s good to see that the faculty didn’t decide to perpetuate the Admissions Office’s mistake.
PS Take your meds. Really.
Amber Gill
This is ridiculous. The people in there should not be honored at all – they’re embarrassing the whole NYU community by being utter morons in there in the first place and deserve expulsion and arrest, if not for the least after that guard was videotaped being stampeded by students and then needing to go to the hospital. “Nonviolence” my ass. The people in there have been steadily isolating their support at NYU – sure, they claim it’s for transparency, but what about the “Students get full veto rights over the administration’s decisions” clause? The “20 students added with full voting rights on the 10-person board of trustees” one? The “all excess supplies/money goes to Gaza Uni”, as if they didn’t have enough problems. I support transparency, but I don’t support Gaza, so I cannot support them. I’m a committed socialist and I was told that “I don’t belong” in the protest. Bravo. If I don’t belong – you don’t deserve the name revolutionary. What part of MASS movement did they miss?
michael
Bunch of fukin ASSHOLES!! Fuk the paky fuks. their 20 miles away in anouther CUNTry. Dey should be puut 2 death for da fukin shit dey doin. they probably gays n lesbian fuks. i go2 NYU
Eric M
@ Michael,
You go to NYU?
Sweet.
I’ll be transferring to Columbia now…
P
I’m beginning to think that a sample of written conduct on the internet should be part of the application screening process.
chris neale
No matter what the TBNYU! kids do, or how much they “fight authority” by refusing to come out of Kimmel, they’re still pussies for having amnesty be their number one demand.
NYU isn’t supposed to be affordable, that’s the whole point.
Eric Levin
I’m a bit confused… Charlie posted a safe harbor document. Is that no longer valid?
chris neale
Nope
@ patricia z: honestly, I understand. they were being asked to leave with the possibility of negotiations later. but if they’re negotiating outside of that building, they don’t have any advantage. at least right now, they have something that the university wants back: kimmel.
Earl Manigoat
How pathetic is demanding amnesty if you think about it? These chicken shit protesters feel so strongly that they are willing to disrupt the school and damage property for their cause, but not QUITE strongly enough to accept responsibility for the consequences of their actions.
Pathetic and not surprising from the privileged douches involved playing “fight the man.”
Justin Sanders
What “machine” do they think they’re rebelling against?
Quit supporting a handful of brave dolts that have dragged our school down.
Linnea Goderstad
Um, someone DID get arrested.
lamer
WOW, When threatened with suspension you all left your post.
That is so revolutionary.
I guess y’all are too afraid to piss off mommy and daddy to stick to your politics.
Have fun in your lux, apt with your trust fund baby friends and thanks for watering down youth rebellion to a palatable consume of lies and weak wills.
Jess M
@Bob Jones
“@Jess M
If your papers were anything like the screed you wrote here, I would have failed you too. Somehow, you managed to get into NYU without a functional knowledge of English spelling and grammar; it’s good to see that the faculty didn’t decide to perpetuate the Admissions Office’s mistake.
PS Take your meds. Really.”
“@Bob Jones”~ I’m guessing you’re an idiot that got burned with Madoff and want to invest in pharmaceuticals now.
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Quite eloquent Lucas
I can see that you are a master of procrastinated 4am essays.