NYU Calls in NYPD for Imaginary Protest
Mar 11th, 2009 by Take Back NYU!
On Tuesday evening, NYU filed a complaint to the NYPD that there would be a student protest somewhere around Washington Square Park. At 11pm there were approximately 30 police cars, one or two paddy wagons for mass-arrests, and other NYPD vehicles. In addition to the heavily increased NYU security and presence of top security officials, at least 75 police officers lingered in front of NYU buildings. They remained outside setting up barricades, blocking off the street, and eating their dinners in the cold. Half of the entrances to Bobst library were closed off and guards checked NYU ID cards at the doors in addition to the normal swiping turnstyles. The Kimmel Center’s lobby was teeming with NYU security.
Yet there was no protest.
When asked to comment, an NYU security guard in Bobst library stated that there had been reports of a possible protest. He made a comment to someone entering that “You can’t be too careful on a night like tonight.”
A policemen, when asked to report on the situation stated that “We were given word that there was going to be some sort of protest but we don’t really know… You should go study.” Another officer, “We want to make sure nobody steals books.”
NYU is a private institution with its own security guards and regulations. It is abusing tax-payer dollars to use public servants in the defense of private issues. Pedestrians commented, “Shouldn’t they be off fighting crimes or something?”, “Do they really need all those cops to fight off NYU students?”, “NYU is going to arrest its students, obviously.”
The fact that the university would menace its own students with arrest is a sad indicator of the state of affairs. NYU is clearly sending a message to the university community that it will not tolerate protest in any way shape or form. The administration has been consistently heavy-handed with students, to the point that they would burden city budget in a distressed economic time to ensure student voices go unheard. That being said, there is no actual protest outside. Its as if this university has no control over the situation without the help of this city’s police force; and tonight, they were certainly out and about. After the occupation of Kimmel in February, NYU has become very skittish, and is eagerly trying to dispell any possibility for students to demonstrate. NYU wants to be known as a school for the acquiescent.
lolz intelligence fail!
PS: “A night like tonight”? Wtf is that supposed to mean? Is it a full moon or something? Anniversary of the Freak-Ins of ‘68?
Thanks for being an inspiration and example for people on the other side of the continent. People in BC Canada support your campaign.
Cheers.
[...] Bobst action, and requested the police presence — fifty cops, thirty police cars, and at least one paddy wagon — as a “precaution.” The cops set up barricades on Washington Square South, but [...]
Maybe they’re just afraid that you’ll hurt another security guard. Since NYU security guards can only technically make a citizens arrest and don’t have much other power besides that, you can’t really blame them for calling in the NYPD to defend themselves against violent protesters like yourselves (see the YouTube video where you guys are screaming about brutality…were any of you actually hurt? BRUTALITY BRUTALITY!). And it’s not like NYU doesn’t pay plenty of money in taxes to the city of New York, they deserve the services the NYPD provides as well. Especially when the limbs of NYU security guards are at risk because of the precedent you set.
So maybe the security guards sound a little silly, but you can’t blame them for not being individually briefed by John Beckman on what to say.
LOL NYU. Can’t tell who to promote for tenure, can’t tell how to fix a bathroom, can’t tell who to suspend from school or expel from school, and can’t tell how to build something in Greenwich Village. NYU Fail!