Glen Cove, New York – Assemblymember Charles Lavine (D-North Shore) issued the following in response to the New York City Police Department and Columbia University administration’s response to the ongoing violent protests over the Israel-Gaza war:

I am impressed with the professionalism of the NYPD in addressing the violent unrest that took place on Columbia University’s campus. The administration made the correct decision in asking for assistance to clear the occupied Hamilton Hall and the encampment on the school's lawn. The officers involved used an appropriate level of force. Those involved will now need to deal with the legal consequences of their ill-fated decision to cross the line from protected free speech to criminal activity. Meanwhile the decision to move in, and then for it to be carried out with appropriate restraint, achieved the goal of restoring freedom to the campus.

In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.”

Photo courtesy of the Office of Assemblymember Charles Lavine