Erin Ailworth

May 2, 2024 | wsj.com | Jimmy Vielkind |Joseph Pisani |ALYSSA CHOINIERE |Erin Ailworth

NEW YORK—Columbia University’s graduation is still two weeks off, but on Wednesday Suleyman Ahmed donned his cap and gown and walked to the school’s gates with a cardboard sign that read “cops off campus.”Ahmed hadn’t participated in any of the demonstrations that have rocked the university over the past few weeks. But after the school asked the New York Police Department to clear out protesters and keep a steady presence on campus through commencement, he couldn’t concentrate on cramming.

Apr 30, 2024 | wsj.com | Erin Ailworth |Jon Kamp

NEW YORK—Police entered Columbia University’s campus late Tuesday and began starting to break up pro-Palestinian demonstrations there, including pushing crowds away from the area around a building occupied by protesters. New York Police Department officers entered campus through a gate near a school library and told people to disperse, yelling for them to exit from the premises.

Apr 30, 2024 | wsj.com | Erin Ailworth |Joseph Pisani |Jon Kamp

LAPD says it responded to ‘multiple acts of violence’ at the encampmentPolice were deployed to the University of California, Los Angeles after violence flared between groups of protesters, hours after demonstrators were removed from an academic building at Columbia University. At UCLA, video footage showed fireworks being directed at the encampment and brawls breaking out between protesters, some armed with sticks and other improvised weapons.

Apr 30, 2024 | wsj.com | Erin Ailworth |Joseph Pisani |Jon Kamp

Updated April 30, 2024 10:45 pm ETListen to article(2 minutes)NEW YORK—Police entered Columbia University’s campus late Tuesday, where they breached a building that had been occupied by protesters and removed pro-Palestinian demonstrators from encampments. New York Police Department Assistant Commissioner Carlos Nieves said police had to get through doors barricaded with vending machines and sofas at Hamilton Hall. He said police used loud distraction devices to subdue protesters in the building.

Apr 30, 2024 | wsj.com | Erin Ailworth |Will Horner

Updated April 30, 2024 6:27 am ETListen to article(2 minutes)NEW YORK―Student protesters at Columbia University took over and barricaded themselves inside an academic building on campus overnight, upping the stakes in their standoff with the school over a pro-Palestinian encampment. “An autonomous group of students has taken matters into their own hands.