Tensions are high at Columbia University over the Israel-Hamas war and the school's response to ongoing protests on campus.
School administrators have restricted campus access to students and staff with university IDs.
Shouting and chanting resumed early Friday morning from the direction of the school's main lawn, where it appears pro-Palestinian demonstrators have reoccupied the area for a third straight day. Video from overhead showed protesters sprawling on sleeping bags and mats, with banners and Palestinian flags laid out around them. They are demanding a cease-fire in Gaza and for the university to divest from Israel.
The NYPD arrested more than 100 people Thursday at the encampment they set up on the main lawn, as demonstrations continued on and off the school's campus in Upper Manhattan.
"I didn't think there was a safety concern at all, because they were actually passing out food to everybody coming by, they were really interacting. It was really nice to see, actually, the community coming together on both sides," one student told CBS New York.
Police monitored activities near campus for most of the day Thursday and made some arrests before confronting students at the makeshift tent city. Officers in riot gear shut down the street at 114th Street and Broadway with seven correctional buses, and then removed students from the encampment.
"We were walking around different parts of campus to occupy that space and demand that our voices be heard," one Columbia student said. "And when I showed up, everybody had already been arrested."
"One by one, these cops got each of the encampment protesters sitting down and standing up and put them in zip ties and walked them," another student said. "It's a very difficult time for a lot of people. I think it's unfortunate that it's come down to this."
"Clearly, as you see, the school does not have any effort to help protect the students who are peacefully protesting," pro-Palestinian protester and student Jin Hookky said.
In a letter, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik asked the NYPD to move in, writing "I have determined that the encampment and related disruptions pose a clear and present danger to the substantial functioning of the University."
"With great regret, we request the NYPD's help to remove these individuals," she wrote.