New York Lawmakers ‘Outraged’ After Cops Raid Columbia University

Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) voiced their horror as officers with the New York Police Department swarmed Columbia University on Tuesday night, breaking into a student-occupied building and carting away the protesters barricaded inside in zip ties. “I am outraged by the level of police presence called upon nonviolent student protesters,” Bowman tweeted, adding in a thread that the “militarization of college campuses, extensive police presence, and arrest of hundreds of students are in direct opposition to the role of education as a cornerstone of our democracy.” He appealed to Columbia leadership to de-escalate the situation “before it leads to further harm,” a call echoed by Ocasio-Cortez, who urged Mayor Eric Adams to intervene and reverse course. “If any kid is hurt tonight, responsibility will fall on the mayor and univ presidents,” she wrote on X. “Other leaders and schools have found a safe, de-escalatory path. This is the opposite of leadership and endangers public safety. A nightmare in the making.”