A protest over a student center’s closure at City College of New York turned violent on Thursday, and in the chaos, campus police pepper-sprayed and then arrested one protester they said used a toddler as a human shield. Predictably, the college’s version of events and the protester’s version differ: The school released a statement that said “a nonstudent, using his child as a shield, tried unsuccessfully to bypass public safety officers and enter the Administration Building.” But student activist leaders told DNAinfo that the man, “who is an alumnus of City College, was retreating with his toddler when campus police moved aggressively toward him with barricades.” Fortunately, the kid was safe, but it seems like a no-brainer that toddlers, protests, and pepper spray don’t mix well.
