Some faculty members at The New School in Greenwich Village formed an encampment Wednesday inside a building to protest the Israel-Hamas war.
They say they’re not going to let up until their demands are met. Demonstrators also gathered outside the college Wednesday.
“Faculty knew that we had to step up, not just to make sure that this could not happen again, but the students’ demands that they fought so hard for, risked their lives and their careers and futures, that was not in vain,” said Sunil, a faculty member who only wanted to be identified by his first name.
At least two dozen faculty members are demanding, among other things, that the school disclose and divest its interests with Israel.
“I’m seeing dead children on my screen every day. I’m seeing bodies pile up in the streets. I’m seeing mass starvation, so what are you seeing and how is that acceptable?” Sunil said.
This is the latest protest after the school brought in the NYPD to break up a student encampment last week.
Forty-three students like Bella and A.J. say they were arrested and are suspended.
The two students also only wanted to be identified by their first names.
“I think that seeing our faculty here and putting their bodies on the line sends a really strong message to not only the university but to the world that this is a belief that is shared by many people,” Bella said.
Bella says the NYPD raid on the first encampment was a surprise because the school did not warn them as they say officials had promised.
“I was in a cell for nine hours. It was really horrific,” she said.
“We gave them incredible non-violent opportunity to prove themselves and uphold the values that we all came here for. It has been deeply, deeply upsetting,” A.J. said.
The latest encampment comes as several colleges and universities in the city have asked the NYPD to shut down protest sites.
The latest disbandment was at the Fashion Institute of Technology early Wednesday.
Protest organizers at The New School have also called on the school to undo student the suspensions.
“The criminal charges and the academic charges need to be revoked immediately,” Sunil said.