On Thursday, eight anti-Israel protesters pleaded not guilty to a range of charges stemming from a violent demonstration at City College’s campus in Upper Manhattan. The protest resulted in millions of dollars worth of damages and involved two participants attacking campus public safety officers.
The defendants are facing charges of third-degree burglary and related offenses after an altercation between protesters and police who attempted to dismantle a makeshift “intifada” encampment at the City College of New York in the spring. All eight defendants, most of whom wore face masks and keffiyeh scarves in court, pleaded not guilty as they were arraigned together in Manhattan criminal court.
The defendants—Nora Fayad, Amelia Fuller, Miranda Levine, Astrid Terrazas, Luis Alberto Cadena, Rudy Martinez, Jonathan Rampagoa, and Jacob Gabriel—and their attorneys declined to comment on the charges. Notably, Martinez is a staff member at Guttman College and is affiliated with CUNY.
Two of the demonstrators, Rampagoa and Gabriel, have also been charged with assault for allegedly throwing a bicycle and computer keyboard at City College public safety officers during the incident.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg emphasized in a statement that his office is committed to ensuring the safety of students returning to campus this fall by prosecuting those who engage in property destruction or violence during protests when appropriate evidence is available. The District Attorney’s office has been collaborating with the NYPD and local colleges ahead of anticipated student demonstrations during the school year, and will continue to pursue cases that cross the line from peaceful, legal protest into criminal activity.
The eight protesters were arrested when police descended upon the Harlem campus on April 30 after students and other outside agitators established a tent city in protest of Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza. During the confrontation with law enforcement, one protester threw a flare that set fire to the City University of New York school’s administration building, causing $350,000 worth of damage. CUNY Chief Operating Officer Hector Batista testified before the City Council in May that vandals also caused an additional $250,000 in damages by breaking windows, chairs, and other furniture in buildings, as well as $600,000 in damages from spray-painted video surveillance cameras to avoid detection.
As a result of the additional security measures the school has been forced to implement, Battista stated that the total cost for City College is expected to reach upwards of $3 million. Each defendant faces one count of third-degree burglary and one count of tampering with physical evidence—both felonies—along with misdemeanor charges for criminal mischief, criminal trespassing, and four counts of possession of burglar’s tools.
