Manhattan: As I was heading home on Tuesday night, I witnessed the NYPD’s dramatic and disproportionate response to the peaceful student-led protests that have been happening on the Fashion Institute of Technology’s campus for weeks.
I was proud of the behavior of the students and shocked at the tactics of the cops. There were hundreds of police — nightsticks out, helmets on, shields down, carrying zip ties. At one point, cops with bicycles used them to force students and myself back onto the sidewalk at W. 28th St. without warning.
This has been a peaceful protest led by students for weeks. It was the NYPD that was aggressive and provocative throughout. I don’t know why FIT would put their students in danger of being beat up or arrested by the police like this. It has nothing to do with education. As the blue sign above the former encampment states, FIT serves unconventional minds. On Wednesday morning, after menacing and arresting students for hours, they were power-washing the space students had peacefully occupied.
W. 27th St. between Seventh and Eighth Aves. is one of my favorite streets in all of New York City. The students of FIT are always full of energy and vigor on this part of their campus. FIT public safety always has a presence. The administrators of the school let their students down on Tuesday night and betrayed their mission to educate unconventional minds. They should be ashamed. FIT’s students should be proud. Jim Behrle
Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.: Those who broke into campus buildings and committed a crime therein are burglars. Burglary is a felony, punishable by a year or more in prison. Let us see if Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg puts on his big-boy pants and charges these felons with said crime. Will he use the same enthusiasm he had for prosecuting Donald Trump? History says no way. Peter McKenna
St. Albans: Before you go out to protest for the Palestinians and your universities to divest from Israel, many of you should forfeit all money from loans from federal and state taxpayers and altruistic alumni. You have........