Backgroound Image

Category: News

Vandals splash Columbia University president’s home with red paint as protests rage over ICE arrest of Mahmoud Khalil

Posted on by neversleep

Vandals targeted the home of Columbia University’s president, splashing the historic residence with red paint and scrawling the words “Free Them All,” as protests rage this week over ICE’s arrest of former protest ringleader Mahmoud Khalil, cops said.

The side of the building at 60 Morningside Drive appeared to have been pelted with red paint balloons — with the urgent message scrawled in black marker — when Columbia’s public safety officers spotted the damage around 12:50 a.m., police said.

Columbia’s current interim president, Katrina Armstrong, lives in the building, sources said.

Continue reading “Vandals splash Columbia University president’s home with red paint as protests rage over ICE arrest of Mahmoud Khalil”

Rage Against Elon Musk Turns Tesla Into a Target

Posted on by neversleep

March 8, 2025

Tesla charging stations were set ablaze near Boston on Monday. Shots were fired at a Tesla dealership in Oregon after midnight on Thursday. Arrests were made at a nonviolent protest at a Tesla dealership in Lower Manhattan on Saturday.

The electric car company Tesla increasingly found itself in police blotters across the country this week, more than seven weeks after President Trump’s second inauguration swept Tesla’s chief executive, Elon Musk, into the administration as a senior adviser to the president.

Mr. Musk, 53, is drawing increasing backlash for his sweeping cuts to federal agencies, a result of the newly formed cost-cutting initiative Mr. Musk has labeled the Department of Government Efficiency.

During a demonstration on Saturday at a gleaming Tesla showroom in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan, protesters joined in chants of “Nobody voted for Elon Musk” and “Oligarchs out, democracy in.” One held a sign saying, “Send Musk to Mars Now!!” (Mr. Musk also owns SpaceX.)

Continue reading “Rage Against Elon Musk Turns Tesla Into a Target”

Columbia University Student Activist Detained by Department of Homeland Security Following Threats of Deportation of Pro-Palestinian Students

Posted on by neversleep

The arrest comes on the heels of the Department of State’s announcement that it plans to deport students affiliated with pro-Palestine protests. The student, who is Palestinian, is a lawful permanent resident of the United States.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK—On March 8, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and recent graduate student at Columbia University, at his place of residence, an apartment building owned by the university.

The DHS agents said that the U.S. Department of State had revoked Khalil’s green card.

At approximately 8:30 p.m. ET, Khalil and his wife, a U.S. citizen who is eight months pregnant, had just unlocked the door to their building when two plainclothes DHS agents forced their way in behind them. The agents initially refused to identify themselves, instead asking Khalil to confirm his identity before detaining him without explanation. The agents proceeded to threaten his wife, telling her that if she remained by his side, they would arrest her too.

Later, the DHS agents stated that the U.S. Department of State had revoked Khalil’s student visa, despite the fact that he has a green card, not a visa, and is a lawful permanent resident. An agent showed Khalil what he claimed was a warrant on his phone. Khalil’s wife went into their apartment to retrieve his green card while the agents remained with Khalil downstairs. When she returned, advising them of Khalil’s legal status and presenting them with Khalil’s green card, one agent was visibly confused and said on the phone, “He has a green card.” However, after a moment, the DHS agents stated that the State Department had “revoked that too.” Khalil’s wife then phoned his attorney, who spoke with the agents in an attempt to intervene. When Khalil’s attorney requested that a copy of the warrant be emailed to her, the agent hung up the call.

Continue reading “Columbia University Student Activist Detained by Department of Homeland Security Following Threats of Deportation of Pro-Palestinian Students”

Nine arrested at New York Tesla dealership as anti-Musk protests break out

Posted on by neversleep

Nine people were arrested during a raucous demonstration outside a New York City Tesla dealership on Saturday, protesting owner Elon Musk’s role in sweeping cuts to the federal workforce at the behest of President Donald Trump.

The protest, which police said involved hundreds of people, was one of a wave of “Tesla Takedown” demonstrations staged across the country targeting billionaire Musk, who is spearheading the Trump administration’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

Throngs of protesters also descended on the electric vehicle maker’s showrooms in Jacksonville, Florida, Tucson, Arizona, and other cities, blocking traffic, chanting and waving signs reading “Burn a Tesla: Save Democracy,” and “No Dictators in the USA.”

Continue reading “Nine arrested at New York Tesla dealership as anti-Musk protests break out”

alleged assault of public safety officer

Posted on by neversleep

The Transport Workers Union condemned student protesters from Wednesday’s Barnard sit-in for allegedly injuring a public safety responder and Barnard for “consistently ignoring officers’ safety concerns.”

TWU’s statement, titled “TWU Blasts Barnard Protesters, Criticizes College,” described a 41-year-old officer, who is represented by TWU Local 264, being “pushed and shoved during the stampede” as protesters entered Milbank Hall at 4 p.m.

A New York Police Department spokesperson told Spectator Wednesday night that the department had a report on file for an assault at around 4:09 p.m. “in the vicinity of” 606 W. 120th Street—Milbank’s address. As of 4:43 p.m. Thursday, no arrests had been made for the assault, an NYPD spokesperson told Spectator.

“He was pinned by the rushing crowd against a beam separating the two doors,” the TWU wrote in its statement. “One protester lowered his shoulder and slammed into the worker like a linebacker.”

Continue reading “alleged assault of public safety officer”

Protesters stage sit-in outside Barnard dean’s office

Posted on by neversleep

February 26, 2025

Dozens of protesters staged a sit-in outside Barnard Dean Leslie Grinage’s office in Milbank Hall the afternoon of Wednesday calling for the “immediate reversal” of two student expulsions. The protesters dispersed at around 10:30 p.m. with a tentative agreement to meet with Grinage and Barnard President Laura Rosenbury on Thursday.

Protesters spent over six hours in Milbank, demanding that Grinage meet with them publicly and “accept the appeals of our expelled students.” They demanded that all Columbia and Barnard students involved in the sit-in receive amnesty and that the University not pursue disciplinary action for the sit-in.

Columbia University Apartheid Divest wrote in a Wednesday Instagram post that the protesters were demanding Barnard “reverse the expulsions” of two Barnard students whom CUAD wrote had been expelled for their participation in the Jan. 21 disruption of the class History of Modern Israel.

A flyer posted on the wall inside Milbank addressed to Grinage and Rosenbury listed four demands, including an “immediate reversal of the two Barnard students’ expulsions,” “amnesty for all students disciplined for pro-Palestine action or thought,” “a public meeting” with Rosenbury and Grinage, and “abolition of the corrupt Barnard disciplinary process and complete transparency” for disciplinary proceedings.

“Today, we are here to demand Dean Grinage accept the appeals of our expelled students, REINSTATING THEM IMMEDIATELY and ABOLISHING THE CARCERAL DISCIPLINARY SYSTEM,” CUAD’s statement on Instagram read.

Continue reading “Protesters stage sit-in outside Barnard dean’s office”

Barnard expels students for class disruption, pro-Palestinian protest

Posted on by neversleep

February 24, 2025

Barnard college, an affiliate of Columbia University in New York, reportedly expelled two students last week for disrupting a session of the class “History of Modern Israel.”

The Barnard students, both seniors in their last semester of undergraduate studies, banged on drums while chanting “free Palestine” and distributed flyers with the phrase “CRUSH ZIONISM” and a depiction of a boot over the Star of David, according to [news source].

A Columbia University student was also involved in the protest and has since been suspended and barred from campus, the university said in a press release last month.

The history course is being run by Columbia, and the disturbance occurred on the first day of spring semester classes for both schools, according to the student group Columbia University Apartheid Divest.

The pro-Palestinian coalition criticized the expulsions in a statement posted to X Sunday, calling Barnard’s decision “a serious escalation in the crackdown” against student activism. The group said in their post they plan to hold “a week of action” Monday through Thursday in response.

Columbia University became the epicenter of nationwide protests last spring, during which students built encampments and denounced Israel’s escalating response in its war against Hamas. In one day of demonstrations last April, more than 100 Columbia students were arrested on campus.

More than 50 students from Barnard have been suspended for political protest, according to Columbia University Apartheid Divest.

Found on mainstream news.

New York State Corrections buses in Cayuga County lit on fire and vandalized

Posted on by neversleep

The New York State Police were called to a vandalism of buses belonging to the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in Cayuga County.

State police were called to a storage lot on State Route 370 in the Town of Victory on Feb. 19. They found that two DOCCS buses had been vandalized, with one of them being lit on fire.

The bus that was lit on fire suffered heavy fire damage in its rear portion, state police said.

Another bus was spray-painted with the message, “Can you hear us now.”

Photos of the buses can be seen below:

Found on mainstream news.

Luigi Mangione Makes First Public Statement, Launches Website

Posted on by neversleep

February 14, 2025

On Friday, Luigi Mangione spoke out for the first time since his arrest, releasing a statement on a new website launched by his legal defense team.

“I am overwhelmed by – and grateful for – everyone who has written me to share their stories and express their support,” writes Mangione. “Powerfully, this support has transcended political, racial, and even class divisions, as mail has flooded MDC from across the country, and around the globe. While it is impossible for me to reply to most letters, please know that I read every one that I receive. Thank you again to everyone who took the time to write. I look forward to hearing more in the future.”

A spokesperson for Mangione’s legal team exclusively confirmed to Rolling Stone that the website is real, but declined to comment any further.

In addition to Mangione’s statement, a message from his attorneys is on the homepage.

“Due to the extraordinary volume of inquiries and outpouring of support, this site was created and is maintained by Luigi Mangione’s New York legal defense team to provide answers to frequently asked questions, accurate information about his cases, and dispel misinformation,” reads the message. “The intent is to share factual information regarding the unprecedented, multiple prosecutions against him.”

Mangione is the lead suspect for the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The 26-year-old is currently being held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center. He pleaded not guilty to state murder and terror charges in December and is facing federal charges for second-degree murder as well as weapons charges.

The website has various sections including case updates, statements made by lead defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo, FAQs, contributions, and a contact form.

The contribution section links to a Give Send Go crowdfunding website that his supporters created to help pay for his legal expenses. Donations surpassed $400,000 on Friday night. “Luigi is aware of the fund and very much appreciates the outpouring of support,” Agnifilo said in a statement earlier this week. “My client plans on utilizing it to fight all three of the unprecedented cases against him.”

Mangione’s supporters have sent him numerous letters, photos, and books. “He is very appreciative, but kindly asks that people temporarily refrain from sending more books,” the legal team writes in the FAQs.

At any given time, Mangione is only permitted to possess five books, a photo album, and 25 pictures, although wardens can adjust these limits at their discretion. In addition to asking for a hold on books, Mangione requested that people send no more than five photos at a time. The legal team reminds senders that every photo is screened and reviewed by law enforcement.

Source: Rolling Stone

 

Luigi’s address, from the FAQ:

Luigi Mangione (52503-511)
MDC Brooklyn
METROPOLITAN DETENTION CENTER
P.O. BOX 329002
BROOKLYN, NY 11232

Because Luigi receives photocopied versions of letters sent to him, we recommend anyone sending a letter to please date and number the pages. Please also make sure the letter being sent has large margins, because the edges of pages may be omitted when letters are photocopied.

New York Prison Uprisings

Posted on by neversleep

As reported in mainstream media, all outside visits have been cancelled to New York state prisons.

Around midnight on Thursday, there was a militant uprising at Riverview Correctional Facility in Ogdensburg, forcing correctional officers to retreat, vacate their posts, and call in police and emergency response teams to gain control of the situation. Last week there was another prison uprising at Collins Correctionnal Facility in Erie County.

Correctional officer pigs are currently on strike in 36 facilities across the state, so Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday signed an executive order calling up 3,500 members of the National Guard for service in the remaining unmanned prisons.

A statewide prison uprising is brewing in New York. Long live the spirit of Attica! Attica means fight back!

Source: Unity of Fields