The U.S.-funded genocide of Palestine continues, and the repression of those who speak against U.S. imperialism has become more violent. On the same day that City College of New York (CCNY) students were attacked by violent campus security officers, mobs of Zionists attacked journalists, Jewish organizers, and women. We can no longer ignore the intersection between the national and international struggle against imperialism. What happened in New York yesterday are symptoms of a disease called Zionism and U.S. imperialism, and we must fight it.
On April 24 at approximately 2:10 pm, I witnessed City University of New York (CUNY) security officer Pestana indiscriminately pepper spray into a crowd of young students. I heard ear-piercing screams and cries as some of my peers fell to the floor in pain due to the chemical agents used against them. These students were brutalized for nothing more than peacefully assembling on their campus.
They didn’t even have megaphones or loudspeakers to speak over. They didn’t come in with weapons or tools. Instead, they came with muffins and water for each other and were still assaulted repeatedly by campus security, which I recorded and posted to my Instagram @Dawabisabikid immediately. I have also received first-person footage from a fellow CUNY student who was pepper-sprayed, and haven’t been able to get the sounds of their cries out of my head since being trusted to post their testimony anonymously. I was in the crowd getting shoved, sprayed, and taunted — Officer Pestana himself told me, with a smile on his face, that he couldn’t wait to see the video online tonight, referring to the one of him spraying students that I captured. He also shoved the student he had pepper-sprayed when they were clearly disoriented and in pain.
Security agents got in the faces of the students and taunted them. CUNY officer, Lieutenant Washington told me something along the lines of, “don’t get caught alone” when the protestors started walking off, clearly threatening me. They shoved students into me, and I was also one of the ones pepper-sprayed, but luckily, I turned my eyes away, so it only burned my neck, head, and arm. CUNY officers immediately put their hands on students from the very first interaction they had with them, which I have on film.
Never did they de-escalate or act maturely or professionally — some were shoving pieces of paper in students’ faces and blocking their paths. I watched a young person fall to the floor in pain, and another had to be escorted away to safety. As a minority CUNY student of color with PTSD, anxiety, and depression, this has done a number on me, and I can only imagine what it has done to those around me. I have reported this situation to my Dean, security offices across CUNY, and many other channels with my personal information included, but if anyone else needs help doing this, please feel free to reach out to me. I will also send in your concerns for you if you wish to remain anonymous.
I would like to conclude as I began, by saying Free Palestine. Children are dying, and an entire country’s infrastructure has been reduced to rubble before our very eyes in less than two years. What happened at CCNY is horrible and must not be repeated, and the abductions of students involved in the movement for Palestine must end. Students, workers, professors, and radical organizations must come together at this time for the collective purpose that matters most. It is the only way to ensure safety, accountability, and effectiveness.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in multiple cases that police have no constitutional duty to protect anyone, whether they are a citizen or not, when people have attempted to sue their local police for failing to assist them in a time of need. Since this country’s inception, it has been up to communities such as ours to protect ourselves. No grants or permits will do the work for us. It is time for a united movement — one that doesn’t ask for its oppressor’s permission to practice our civil liberties and one that isn’t in the pocket of any administration or political party. We need to stand up for Palestine, for divestment, and against this kind of repression.