In an interview on Sunday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams stood by the measures implemented by the New York Police Department (NYPD) regarding campus protests. “We want to ensure we protect democracy and the right to protest,” he stated during an appearance on ABC News’s “This Week.”
He emphasized that when protests escalate into violence, as noted by the president, there is a duty to act. “We have to ensure that we use a minimum amount of force to terminate what is perceived to be a threat — not only by our intelligence but also the school and college officials,” Adams explained.
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Following the protesters’ occupation of a campus building, police officers in riot gear moved onto Columbia University’s campus last Tuesday, escalating tensions that had been building for over a week as the encampment grew daily.
University officials had repeatedly warned the protesters about their violation of university policies and attempted to negotiate an end to the occupation, which the protesters refused.
In defending the NYPD’s timing, Adams noted that they acted at the request of university officials and that despite their concerns about the protests, they aimed to respect their authority.
“We communicated with the college officials for several days leading up to the New York City Police Department action,” Adams said when questioned about whether the NYPD should have acted sooner.
“We knew we had to get permission unless there’s imminent threat to life or severe threat to property. And once the school made the determination, we shared the information that we had.”
Addressing the concerns of his intelligence division, Adams remarked, “Our intelligence division looked at it, and it was concerning to me. But we were not going to overstep our legal authority and right to do so.”
In response to criticism from progressive figures like Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), who condemned the NYPD’s actions as a “militarization of college campus,” Adams expressed his respect for differing opinions.
“That’s the beauty of America. One has the right to have his or her opinion, and I respect that. I protested as a young man for apartheid and other issues to dismantle apartheid. And so, I respect that,” he stated. Continuing, he added, “He has his position. And I have an obligation and responsibility to ensure the city is safe.”
New York officials reported that over 100 individuals arrested during protests at Columbia University and the City College of New York (CCNY) were not students at those institutions.
Adams expressed concern regarding “outside agitators” and their impact on students, stating, “There’s a real attempt to radicalize our young people, and when you look at some of the information and some of the people who were there, we need to be clear that we cannot take this lightly.”
He further clarified his reference to “outside agitators” on this basis. “And when I use the term of ‘outside agitators,’ anyone can protest in the city, but when you are on college grounds and you do not attend that college, you are an outsider.
And then when you train people to do disruptive things, you are an agitator,” Adams explained. “So I’m not trying to be politically correct. I’m trying to be correct for the city of New York as we make sure this continues to be safe.”
