Police operation at Columbia has started
New York police have entered the Columbia campus.
"The operation at Columbia University has commenced,” police said shortly after 9 p.m.
Protesters moved barricades after NYPD tells crowd to disperse
Protesters moved bicycle rack-style barricades after police near Columbia University warned crowds to disperse.
Police have moved in and are in the street with riot helmets on, video showed. They are by the gate closest to Hamilton Hall.
Columbia sends letter to city asking for NYPD help
Columbia University has sent a letter to the city of New York asking for assistance, which will lawfully allow the NYPD to enter and make lawful arrests, two senior city officials said.
Sirens ring out in area around Columbia
For nearly 10 minutes, sirens have been heard near Columbia's Morningside Heights campus.
Students have been warned to shelter in place, and police appear to be preparing to enter the campus on 116th and Amsterdam.
Columbia students told to shelter in place
Emergency management told Columbia students in a text alert to shelter in place “due to heightened activity on the Morningside campus.”
Students were told to avoid the area, according to the alert, which was obtained by NBC New York. It says disciplinary action may result if people don’t comply.
The message suggests the NYPD could move in on protests. Neighboring and affiliated Barnard College also sent an alert about police activity.
Protesters standing firm at university gates
With NYPD officers in riot gear approaching Columbia University’s campus, student protesters appeared undeterred.
About roughly 200 protesters stood outside — and several on top of — the university gates along Amsterdam Avenue and 116th Street, repeating their pleas for the university to divest from Israeli companies.
“We will not move. We will not bend,” they chanted. “The occupation has to end.”
Students urged to 'stay inside'
Outside a gate next to Carman Hall at Columbia, officials warned the crowd to clear the area.
Public safety officials urged students to “stay inside” and “go back into the dorm."
Officers seen in riot gear near Columbia
Video shot in Manhattan near the campus of Columbia University shows police officers in riot gear a few hours after New York City Mayor Eric Adams said a protest there “must end.”
The video was taken at 114th and Broadway, next to the campus.
Adams and NYPD officials said outside agitators with no affiliation with Columbia have co-opted students’ protests against the war in Gaza and have their own agenda.
Police blamed outside groups for a dangerous change in tactics. Protesters with hammers broke into Hamilton Hall and barricaded it early this morning.
NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said earlier that “right now” there is no timetable but that if Columbia asked the NYPD for assistance, it was ready to help.
The mood at Columbia
As the night grows darker, people at Columbia and outside who have seen police officers mass and barricades go up wait to see how the night will unfold.
Chanting continues at time, and there’s speculation among the crowd about when — not whether — police will take action.
A crowd gathering at the barricade on 113th is chanting, "Free Palestine," while Broadway, which is parallel to campus, is completely barricaded with no foot or motor traffic.
Faculty says they've 'been shut out' of negotiations
Joe Howley, a Columbia classics professor, says faculty members have been trying to work with the administration and students to find a resolution.
“Faculty have tried all day to get involved in this and resolve the situation," Howley said. "We have been shut out.”
Jelani Cobb, the dean of the journalism school, said attempts to restart negotiations tonight are “dead.”