On the morning of May 2nd, 2024, Marymount Manhattan College was setting up the annual tradition of Strawberry Fest. A bright sunny day filled with a celebratory energy that filled the air. While the MMC campus was full of joy, other NYC college campuses were filled with police presence, student encampments, and fleeting student resources. As Strawberry Fest went on from 12-3 pm, a group of Marymount students made it their duty to join in the fight seen all over campuses throughout the country. Around 2 PM, as the music was blaring on 71st Street, “The students united will never be defeated” began to ring between 2nd and 3rd Avenue as a growing power was emitted from the student demonstrators.
Organizers of the demonstration to fight for the freedom of Palestine, Alukah Wiener and Kalys Santini stood strong with a message of peace to the Marymount community. Wiener spoke with The Monitor about the intentions of the movement, “Palestine and Palestinian rights and lives is an issue that Marymount students care about, this is something we really believe in and we are the students, we are the college.”
Some of the statements being chanted are ones that some students, specifically members of Hillel MMC who wish to remain anonymous, have stated made them feel hurt as a collective, with one particular chant, “from the river to the sea” as this was a final solution in erasing Israel and its people altogether. Some of the members felt an overwhelming emotion relating to the family they know in Israel who were harmed, “On October 7th some of my friends were murdered, others I knew were taken hostage,” “It was horrifying and isolating.” Another statement from the group was “We are also proud that we have a community that welcomes non-Jewish and Israeli students to join us in our celebrations and we are so happy and thankful to everyone who joins us. When our members vocalize safety concerns we address them because we want everyone to be safe on campus. The recent protests on campus have changed the MMC community and we believe that they [members] should be the ones to tell you.” followed by a quote, “I’m so done I just want to lay in bed and cry.”
Following Wiener’s statements, and shortly after Strawberry Fest wrapped up, the MMC student protestors who were standing on the north side of 71st Street in a line were met with counter-protesters from outside the college community. At 2:46 pm, a woman and a man who were counter-protesting began shouting obscenities in the faces of the students of Marymount yelling words such as “terrorists” in their faces while filming them and continuously encroaching on the campus. A man showed up with a large dog and a golf club, and another later entered the premises wearing a mask and a hood while taking photos of himself standing in front of the students holding up his middle finger. A woman passing by was heard saying “Palestinians don’t even exist.” All at the same time cars were driving through, at times honking to show their support, a jeep even drove through with a Palestinian flag and stopped to praise what the students were doing. As tensions began to rise, a heavy police presence started to make their way to 71st Street. Police officers showed up in pairs to monitor the situation, eventually barricading the students in front of the college, and the counter-protesters to the other side of the street. Around 4:48, the street was blocked to through traffic and anyone walking trying to pass through. Due to this, evening classes were canceled as a result of professors not being able to get onto campus due to the measures the officers performed in their want to barricade the situation.
Students from outside high schools showed a presence as well, including one 16-year-old, Gavin Ramos, who was there standing with a “Free Palestine” sign drawn on a ripped-out piece of notebook paper. “Today my teacher was telling me how her doctor went to help, and the things they saw were horrific. They have no more anesthetics, and people are suffering and dying because there is no other option. It’s impacting her because a lot of the people who are dying look like her relatives and like her.” Ramos stood with MMC as a high school student to show the impact on other people here in the United States.
The students stayed on campus until 6:09 pm when they calmly dispersed and left the school as it was while the barricades remained. Their plans to meet at the same spot the next day were changed when students at The New School were facing conditions that called for an outpour of help from anyone around who could provide, so they made that their mission on Friday, May 3rd.
MMC administration followed the events with two emails, the first explaining how Marymount students have the right to free speech while sticking to the Code of Conduct, and the second about RSO’s showing support to the pro-Palestine protesters stating that members should be able to weigh in on what is being done as a number of RSO’s showed support in putting their banners in front of the students. Overall, Marymount has still held off on making a statement and answering students’ demands regarding divestments, or making public their funding list. As updates come through, The Monitor will continue to update.
