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Ilhan Omar’s daughter says she was suspended from college after pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia
NEW YORK — Rep. Ilhan Omar’s daughter says she was one of three students suspended from Barnard College following a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University on Thursday.
Isra Hirsi wrote on X that she is an organizer with Columbia University Apartheid Divest, which is advocating for the university to divest from “companies complicit in genocide.”
“I just received notice that I am 1 of 3 students suspended for standing in solidarity with Palestinians facing a genocide,” she wrote on Thursday morning.
Hirsi, a junior, said she had never previously been reprimanded or received any disciplinary warnings from Barnard during her time at the school.
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Police made arrests on Thursday at the makeshift encampment set up on the university’s quad. Columbia University President Minouche Shafik asked New York police in a letter to help remove the crowd, accusing the roughly 100 protesters of interfering with university operations, failing to comply with policies, and causing damage to campus property.
Demonstrations started on Wednesday as Shafik testified before Congress, where she was accused of failing to discipline students for antisemitic rhetoric. She said the rights of Jewish students to learn in an environment free of discrimination has been a central issue at the school since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
Administrators locked down campus on Wednesday amid dueling protests between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel groups. A small group of pro-Palestinian activists remained overnight despite warnings to leave by 9 p.m., though most were not believed to be students. One person was arrested on Wednesday, police said, with arrests continuing on Thursday. It was not immediately clear how many people were arrested on Thursday, according to CBS New York.
In a memo, Barnard College Senior Staff wrote that the students remaining at the encampment were placed on interim suspension.
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“Now and always, we prioritize our students’ learning and living in an inclusive environment free from harassment,” the memo states. “Given the evolving circumstances at Columbia and in the area, we are working to ensure the safety and well-being of the entire Barnard community.”
“Those of us in Gaza Solidarity Encampment will not be intimidated. We will stand resolute until our demands are met,” Hirsi said on X.
The Minneapolis South graduate was a leading voice in Twin Cities climate protests during her time in high school; she worked as a co-founder and co-executive of the U.S. Youth Climate Strike, helping coordinate rallies across 2,000 cities in March of 2019.
Omar, who represents Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District, wrote on X that the university has “an incredible history of students fighting for amore just world and it’s good to see that tradition continue.”
Omar said she stood in solidarity with the students, and hoped the school administrators would not criminalize them.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
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Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.