May 2, 2024 - US college protests

At least 30 arrests at Portland State University as scene remains active, police say

From CNN's Paradise Afshar

At least 30 people were arrested Thursday at Portland State University, where law enforcement was working to clear a library occupied by protesters, according to authorities.

Arrests were made in a park and at the library, where some people broke back into the building after police left, the Portland Police Bureau told CNN

PPB said the situation remained "active" as of about 8 p.m. local time.

"The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) is actively collaborating with Portland State University (PSU) to address the illegal activities at the university's Millar Library," police said.

"After a group of protesters departed from a peaceful First Amendment gathering and unlawfully entered the campus building on Monday, the PPB has been working in partnership with city leaders, other municipal bureaus, the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office, and Portland State University to ensure a safe resolution."

Police said they were monitoring the library and several groups that have "splintered off into small marches."

Analysis: Biden cannot afford a boiling summer of protest

From CNN's Stephen Collinson

President Joe Biden can ill afford a long, hot summer of protest that comes to a boil in time for the Democratic National Convention in August and then bleeds into the final weeks of an already venomous clash with Donald Trump.

After days of college campus demonstrations — triggered by outrage at the civilian carnage from Israel's war in Gaza — the president's reticence to throw himself into the politics of a perilous situation finally became unsustainable, resulting in his first on-camera comments on Thursday.

In a political sense, Biden's speech was an act of fence sitting.

He needs to avoid further alienating young, progressive voters who are furious about his handling of the Gaza war and could doom his reelection hopes if they don't show up in November. But he must also ensure that more middle-of-the-road voters aren't convinced by Trump's claims the country is on fire and spinning out of control.

Any time a sitting president looks like he's observing rather than controlling inflammatory events, he's taking a huge political risk. This is especially the case when a political opponent, in this case Trump, is lambasting him as weak and not up to the job.

Read the full analysis.

Inside the makeshift newsroom that covered Columbia's historic crackdown 

Over the past week, student journalists have been working around the clock from a makeshift newsroom inside Columbia University.

Due to the school's strict lockdown, they were the only media allowed on campus on April 30 as police massed outside.

Palestinian journalist Samaa Khullar was one of them.

Here's what we know about the arrests at campus protests in New York City on Tuesday night

From CNN's Shimon Prokupecz, Mark Morales and Celina Tebor

Authorities arrested 282 people at Tuesday's pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University and The City College of New York, according to the New York Police Department.

Of the 112 people arrested at Columbia, 32 (or 29%) were not affiliated with the university, according to an NYPD official. At The City College of New York, 102 (or 60%) of the 170 people arrested were not affiliated with the college.

At Columbia, dozens of protesters entered the university's Hamilton Hall on Tuesday and barricaded themselves inside before the university asked for the NYPD's assistance.

These individuals could be charged with burglary in the third degree, criminal mischief and trespassing, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said. Protesters in the encampments outside could be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct, he said.

But on Thursday, a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said that 46 people arrested inside Hamilton Hall have so far only been charged with one count of trespassing.

Seventy-four people were arraigned Wednesday night and Thursday in connection to the Tuesday events at both schools, the Manhattan DA said. At least six people were arrested on burglary charges related to the protests, according to another NYPD official.

Read more about some of the individuals who were arrested.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino, John Miller and Elizabeth Joseph contributed to this report.

University of Pennsylvania asks for more police resources

From CNN's Danny Freeman

Eight days after a pro-Palestinian encampment was set up in the center of the University of Pennsylvania, the Ivy League school has written a letter to the Philadelphia Mayor's Office asking for more police resources, a school spokesperson told CNN on Thursday.

"Protest activity began to escalate overnight and has steadily continued, with large crowds in and around College Green today," the university said. "We have reached out to the City of Philadelphia to ensure we have the necessary resources to keep our community safe."

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker's office has requested more information from the university, which administrators are working to provide, the spokesperson said.

The university declined to provide a copy of the letter and CNN has sought comment from the mayor's office.

The Philadelphia Police Department has an agreement with the University of Pennsylvania Police Department "to ensure effective cooperation in situations requiring a police presence," according to Philadelphia Police spokesperson Sgt. Eric Gripp.

Gripp said the department does not publicly share strategies related to ongoing situations.

The last 24 hours at the university have been tense. The university said a pro-Palestinian rally at the encampment late Wednesday night "escalated at multiple times" and resulted in "defacement of Penn property, an unauthorized drone, and threatening rhetoric and chants."

On Thursday, CNN witnessed a minor confrontation between campus police and protesters when protesters jumped barriers and began chanting on and around a statue of Benjamin Franklin on the College Green. The incident did not result in any arrests but the police presence was heightened.

Masked men, some displaying pro-Israel messages, attacked UCLA protest encampment for hours, video shows

From CNN's Sharif Paget

Several dozen men dressed in black with white masks repeatedly attacked UCLA's pro-Palestinian protest encampment late Tuesday with crude weapons, including poles and incendiaries, according to video provided to CNN by William Gude, who routinely films and shares videos of police conduct in Los Angeles.

Gude told CNN he arrived at the encampment area before chaos broke out around 9:15 p.m. local time Tuesday, and says he filmed hours worth of footage, showing what led up to the incident and what followed.

He described the attackers as pro-Israel based on remarks they made in the video. His footage also shows at least two people with Israeli flags and another wearing a hoodie that reads, "Free our hostages."

In a video shared with CNN, which captured what Gude says is the first 24 minutes of the incident, individuals dressed in black attempt to force their way into the encampment, as protesters inside used mace to defend themselves. 

At times, individuals from each camp engaged in furtive, one-on-one skirmishes in the area between the two groups, though Gude described what he saw as "a sustained attack for three-and-a-half, almost four hours, by one side against the other."

Multiple videos posted online show the attackers punching, kicking and hitting the pro-Palestinian protesters with sticks. Some videos posted on social media show officers at the scene but not engaging with the crowd.  

Gude told CNN that about an hour into the attack, the UCLA Police Department arrived on scene. Later, the California Highway Patrol arrived, followed by the Los Angeles Police Department. None of the departments moved in to de-escalate the situation, Gude said, until about three hours later.

The LAPD referred CNN to UCLA police. CNN has reached out to all three departments and the university regarding the incident.

NYPD officer fired gun in Columbia University's Hamilton Hall this week, district attorney's office says

From CNN's Gloria Pazmino and Rob Frehse

An officer with the New York Police Department fired their gun in Hamilton Hall during the police response at Columbia University's campus Tuesday night, a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office told CNN.

According to DA spokesperson Doug Cohen, the office is conducting a review of the incident, as it is part of the DA's policy to do so. Cohen said that no students and only police officers were immediately nearby the gunfire incident and that no one was injured.

An NYPD investigation determined the officer accidentally fired his gun while using the attached flashlight to search the first floor of Hamilton Hall, according to a statement from the police department.

"The (Emergency Service Unit) officer has a firearm that is equipped with a flashlight, and he was illuminating the area to find the best way to navigate through the barricaded area. The officer accidentally discharged his firearm causing a single round to be discharged," the NYPD statement read.

The round hit a frame on a wall and no injuries were reported, police said, noting body camera footage of the incident has been given to the DA's office

The NYPD will hold a briefing on the incident at 11:30 a.m. ET Friday morning.

Second gentleman spoke with Jewish students and Hillel leaders from universities across US, official says 

From CNN's Sam Fossum

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff spoke with Jewish students from Columbia University and Barnard College as well as Hillel leaders from Emory and the University of Texas at Austin on Thursday to hear their stories and experiences with antisemitism on college campuses, according to a White House official. 

Emhoff, according to the official, listened to the students and leaders and reiterated his commitment to fighting hate speech and countering antisemitism.

Other response from the White House: President Joe Biden attempted to draw a line between peaceful protests and violent demonstrations in remarks earlier on Thursday. It was the first time the president spoke extensively on the protests that are sprouting up on college campuses across the country.

Still, Biden said his support for Israel remains unwavering amid the protests. Many of the protesters have expressed anger at the president's policies toward Israel.