Mariano Torres, a maintenance worker at Columbia University, was shocked to find pro-Palestinian protesters taking over Hamilton Hall one night. Along with two other maintenance workers, he felt that the university had not done enough to prevent the attack or help them once inside. The workers called for help, but it did not arrive in time, leading them to have to make their own way out of the building. The union representing the workers has requested more information from the university regarding what the police had told them before the occupation.
Pro-Palestinian protesters had surrounded Hamilton Hall for months, eventually entering the building in a marked escalation of their demonstrations. The protesters were highly organized, with knowledge of security cameras and exits. The sole public safety officer in the lobby left when confronted, and the protesters quickly began barricading the main doors. Mariano Torres tried to protect the building but ultimately had to confront a protester and grab a fire extinguisher before being persuaded to calm down.
Lester Wilson, another maintenance worker at Hamilton Hall, also had a frightening encounter with the protesters. He found a woman hiding in a closet just days before the occupation, and when he tried to leave the building, he was stopped by a barricade of zip ties on the main doors. Wilson begged to be let out, eventually being pushed outside by a protester. The workers were traumatized by the events and did not want to return to work in Hamilton Hall again.
Despite the traumatic experience, the workers felt abandoned by the lack of protection from campus police and the NYPD. The union representing the workers expressed their disappointment in the lack of communication from the university regarding potential escalations of the protests. The workers were left feeling that their safety had not been adequately prioritized by the university, leading to a dangerous and uncertain situation.
The occupation of Hamilton Hall eventually resulted in nearly 50 arrests, with many of the protesters being students of Columbia or its affiliated colleges. The university condemned the protesters’ actions as violations of both university policy and the law. They eventually called in the NYPD to clear the building and other protesters around campus. The university expressed their commitment to healing the entire university community following the incident.
The workers, including Mariano Torres and Lester Wilson, expressed their frustration with the tactics of the occupiers, questioning the need to take over a building and put workers at risk. They emphasized that the traumatic events had taken a toll on them and that they never wanted to work in Hamilton Hall again. The lack of protection and communication from the university left them feeling abandoned and vulnerable during a frightening and dangerous situation.
