Stand with SUNY Students Against Brutality

Hi, my name is Kaelin. I am a student organizer from SUNY Purchase and member of Raise the Consciousness (RTC), the group that organized the SUNY Purchase Gaza Solidarity Encampment. We are raising funds to cover the fees associated with filing a Notice of Claim to take legal action against the State of New York and other government entities after peaceful student activists were brutalized and wrongfully arrested by police on our campus on May 2, 2024.

Our rights are under attack and we need your help.

On Thursday, May 2nd, 2024, when students peacefully protested against the university’s complicity and active funding of the genocide of the Palestinian people by Israel, the State University of New York (SUNY) Purchase College administration called at least seven different militarized police forces (with shields, helmets, firearms and batons) who violently attacked us under the orders of College President Milagros Peña, Governor Kathy Hochul, and Westchester County Executive George Latimer.

At the time of the attack, students were seated quietly in a circle with our arms linked. A police helicopter and drones were called in. Once forced to our feet, students were harassed, pushed and tackled to the ground, and many were injured. Several students ended up in the hospital over the next few days, either due to police brutality or the obstruction of access to critical medication, with three known visits to hospitals as a direct result of injuries sustained by police action. Students were not read their MIRANDA rights and were not told what charges warranted their arrest and detainment.

That night, at least 68 students, faculty, and staff were attacked and confirmed to be arrested.

More students were violently attacked, but not arrested. These students and the faculty that supported us were all exercising our right to peacefully protest an ongoing genocide that New York State, State University of New York, and the United States of America are complicit in.

When we exercised our right to free speech, SUNY Purchase administration claimed that they could put limits on our rights based on “time and place” on a state university campus, or public land. SUNY Purchase administration claimed that we violated “quiet hours.” They later tried to enforce this as a curfew; which it is not. In fact, the White Plains Police helicopter that was deployed by the administration at the scene made an enormous amount of disruptive noise all through the night, well past quiet hours, keeping students up before their final examinations.

Many of us after being detained were charged with trespassing, despite the fact that we live on campus, paying both tuition and board to the college. The administration threatened and gave out suspension notices to anyone found at the encampment. Many people's private property was thrown in dumpsters or destroyed by the police. Students’ belongings, which included medications and other vital documents and items, were seized unlawfully from the site by police and were not returned until weeks later – if at all – or had to be recovered from dumpsters around the campus. One student was denied their medication by police which caused them to vomit blood and be sent to the hospital where they were arrested. Another student was pushed face first onto the concrete by multiple officers (one in full riot gear) and arrested. After this, the student was put into a police van with ten other peers. The students in the extremely hot and cramped van were held there without water and with hands zip-tied or handcuffed for three hours until they were finally processed.

I was also arrested and concussed by police after being shoved repeatedly and pushed to the ground. I was held in the police van, with my hands cuffed behind my back before being taken to the precinct and held there for hours, isolated in a cell without being told what I was charged with.

These stories are not unique, they are a few of many that detail brutalization, dehumanization, and cruelty by police at the behest of the State of New York, Westchester County, and State University of New York at Purchase College.

In order to file a lawsuit against the state, each claimant must first file a Notice of Claim within 90 days of the incident. There are several claims associated with filing a lawsuit, starting with the Notice of Claim including notary fees and mailing fees (originally the filing fee was listed as $250 but we have been advised by legal of another way to file that is significantly less costly). That deadline is July 30, 2024 and rapidly approaching. Without this, we cannot file a lawsuit. Without this, we lose our chance to hold them accountable, find some justice, and make sure this never happens again.

To ensure every student with a claim is able to exercise their right to be a part of the suit, we need to raise a minimum of $3,000 (this was originally $5000 but with the lower than expected cost we do not need to raise as much money as anticipated!) Any excess funds will be put toward the ongoing lawsuit.

Please act now and donate to help us cover the enormous cost of the multiple Notices of Claim we must file to hold these institutions accountable for their violations of constitutional rights and brutalization of peaceful student protestors (many of whom are 18-21).

Please share widely and donate what you can. Every dollar and every share will make a difference.

In solidarity,

Kaelin

Raise the Consciousness