Statement on Student Arrests

Dear New School Community,

On the evening of May 9th, outside of the 2 W 13th street Parsons building, eleven community members were arrested by NYPD officers. 

Multiple members of our Student Senate watched as two community members were pepper sprayed in an attempt to disrupt the peaceful rally in solidarity for the Refaat Alareer Faculty Solidarity Encampment. 

A black community member standing by the rally was singled out by the agitators and was later arrested by the NYPD. This student had no involvement with the agitator and the racial profiling of any member of our community is unacceptable. 

Students, faculty, and staff repeatedly called for the officers to release this student, and staged a peaceful protest in front of the police van; these members were then arrested.

As representatives of the student body we are deeply shocked by these events. We understand the events to be a result of the past week’s presence of police officers on campus who have been called in by Donna Shalala on Friday, May 3rd. 

Therefore we call upon the president of The New School, Donna Shalala, to demand the immediate removal of the NYPD barricades and officers surrounding our school. 

In Solidarity, 

University Student Senate