The Occupation of 90 Fifth Ave.: An Overview

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A Play-by-Play of What Happened Yesterday at the Student Study Center

The New School found itself at the epicenter of the Occupy Wall Street movement for a fleeting moment yesterday, when more than a hundred students from colleges across New York City took over the Student Study Center at 90 Fifth Ave., barricading the space and staying there overnight. The situation remains fluid and uncertain, but here at The New School Free Press we’ve been tracking the progress of the occupation, the third at the university in four years. Students from NYU, Columbia, Hunter, Pratt and CUNY Grad joined New School students in the occupation yesterday, and while only a handful remained there this morning, a large group is expected to return later today for a General Assembly meeting.

It all began at around 3 p.m. yesterday, November 17, with a scheduled student walkout. An estimated 20 students showed up in the Vera List Courtyard — a smaller turnout than had been expected —  before marching around campus, beating a drum and urging others to leave their classes and join in. The initial reaction from students was underwhelming. At Fogelman Library, one student protester made a speech, announcing the walkout and inviting others to come, while a fire alarm rang in the background — another protester had, evidently, set it off. But no students left the library, and a security guard apathetically asked all students to ignore the alarm. The protesters met a similar reaction when they entered a classroom on the fourth floor of the 66 W. 12 St. building, where a lecture was underway; students watched with apparent disinterest as a protester stood in front of them, beating a drum and shouting for them to “come join!”

The protest gained momentum, though, as New School students gathered on the northwest corner of Union Square Park, where a crowd of other OWS protesters were holding a General Assembly. After rallying there for about an hour, hundreds of protesters began marching towards Fifth Avenue, where they stopped traffic  between 14th and 15th Streets. Struggling to keep the protesters on the sidewalk, the NYPD set up a police barricade on 14th Street, but to little avail — people pushed against the police and onto the street.

It was during this battle on Fifth Avenue, at approximately 4:15 p.m., when student protesters began to enter the building at 90 Fifth Ave. and take over the Study Center on the second floor. Around 40 people had entered the building, and were already blockading the space by pushing tables against the escalators and covering the windows with signs and banners, when police blocked the front entrance and stopped more protesters from entering.

“Don’t leave! We need you!”  those who had made it into the building shouted to people still on the street. “Join us!”

Outside, Fifth Avenue appeared to be devolving into a riot, with police wielding batons and protesters standing on vans and cars. Inside, the occupiers decided to bring in other protesters through a fire escape on 14th Street, which the police had not yet blockaded. A group of five or so occupiers, bandana over their faces, hurdled down the back staircase and opened the door; as the fire alarm rang, an estimated 80 more protesters joined the occupation, scrambling up the stairs with screams of “Run faster! Fucking run!”
“We’re feeling good. It’s all about numbers,” said Aaron, a New School philosophy student who was involved with the New School occupation in 2009. “If the New School president arrests 200 of his own students, it’s something. But it’s not if he only arrests 15.”
No arrests were made, though, as the situation on Fifth Avenue calmed down, traffic re-opened, and President David Van Zandt, taking advice from the National Lawyers Guild, called off the NYPD. He then went to the building and spoke with a delegation of occupiers representing the different New York colleges. Despite the large group of agitated protesters, Van Zandt appeared calm and spoke openly with the occupiers. Shortly after, the occupation was declared “open.”
“Any student will be allowed to access the building as long as they have a student ID,” said Van Zandt.
In a celebratory mood, the occupiers held a GA to discuss how they would make decisions, come to conclusions, and handle themselves during the occupation.
“I think they’re carrying themselves in an excellent light,” Van Zandt told The Free Press about an hour later. “I’m very proud, actually.”
Van Zandt also said that the occupiers could stay there as long as the situation remained safe and didn’t hinder The New School’s education programs — in theory, they could stay there indefinitely. Many students noted the vast difference between Van Zandt’s handling of the occupation and how his predecessor, Bob Kerrey, handled the occupations in 2009; during that occupation, of the now-vanished building at 65 Fifth Ave., Kerrey allowed the NYPD to make arrests.
“I think it’s fantastic that we got the space,” said one organizer, a Lang history major who asked to remain anonymous. “I hope we can maintain the space as long as possible. I hope this is a message to other universities, that they can hold occupations on their own campuses. It’s one thing to show solidarity by discussing this movement and using social networking. But it’s a more important thing to go out into the streets and take that which is already yours.”

Concerns remain about police action, as The New School does not technically own the building. But the owner, Aby Rosen, a real estate mogul, has taken little action so far. For now, the occupation remains peaceful, no arrests have been made, and the administration is striving to resolve the situation without legal action or police force.

The New School Free Press will be covering the occupation of 90 Fifth Ave. until it ends. Check our website for new information.

Additional reporting by Stephany Chung

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