(Headline USA) New York City Mayor Eric Adams called on Columbia University to pay up and help cover the cost of the New York Police Department’s efforts to shut down illegal student encampments this week.
Radical student protesters were finally removed from Columbia’s campus on Tuesday night after they took over the school’s iconic lawn and the Hamilton Hall academic building.
Footage of the NYPD’s late-night raid showed officers positioning a ramp against the building so officers could enter through second-floor windows after the protesters sealed themselves inside.
"WHERE IS THE PRESIDENT OF OUR COUNTRY?": While Joe Biden sleeps, NYPD officers enter Hamilton Hall on the campus of Columbia University where rioters have barricaded the building.
Crooked Joe Biden is MIA. pic.twitter.com/fQyPLOokc2
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) May 1, 2024
Hundreds of cops were involved in the raid and several were injured during clashes with protesters who turned violent, according to the department.
At least part of the cost of the raid included covering overtime for the officers involved, Adams’s office explained.
That’s a bill that Columbia should have to help pay, the mayor added.
“We believe that they, too, should contribute to the cost,” he told Fox5.
“One way to prevent the costs from escalating is to have a zero tolerance,” he continued. “As soon as the tents go up, it comes down. Do not allow this to continue to expand. That is what we saw at Columbia University, and that is what we saw at CUNY as well.”
School officials were reluctant initially to allow the NYPD on campus, letting the protestors occupy and vandalize the building for an extended period before finally relenting.
Columbia officials have now requested assistance from the NYPD in clearing out the student encampment, and have also asked officers to stay on campus through May 17 to prevent unrest ahead of commencement.
Several New York City council members expressed support for Adams’s position.
“Columbia created this mess, and Columbia—not New Yorkers—should pay to clean it up,” nine council members, led by Queens Republican Joann Ariola, Minority Leader Joe Borelli, and Queens Democrat Bob Holden wrote in a letter to university officials.
“New York City has very real problems that must be prioritized,” the councilors added. “Babysitting spoiled students, activist professors, and professional protesters on an Ivy League campus is not one of them.”
