Talk:1968 Columbia University protests

Untitled
I was present as a journalist at this event. I used an old Columbia ID (class of 1960) to gain access everywhere, and happened to live across the street, so I missed very little. The occupied buildings in order were: Hamilton Hall, President's Office in Low Library, Kent Hall (by School of Architecture students only, after they were ordered to leave the building while working on projects), Fayerweather Hall, Math. I was in all of these at one time or another, but mostly in Fayerweather. The remarks about Dean Coleman are inaccurate. The protesters begged him to leave, and I actually interviewed him through his office window, and offered to try to escort him out. He was a voluntary occupant, not a prisoner. This has been widely misrepresented over the years. Also, despite the blockade of those occupying Grayson Kirk's office, food and other supplies reached them, as supporters stood outside the ring of blockaders (who were encouraged and themselves supplied by an Engineering Professor), tossed things through a window. The blockaders tried to prevent this by tossing sweaters and jackets into the air, until one jacket was carried through a window by a large can of fruit. Finally, exactly one protester in the Math building avoided arrest by hiding in a cabinet. He claimed to see police trashing offices after the protesters were removed. T. W. Hamilton24.168.96.8 (talk) 18:56, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

Thank you very much for this article. Since a very long time I was looking fot he background of that movie mentioned in the page. I remembered, that the Columbia University and not Berkely was the base but until now I found no closer explanation. 129.187.121.66 08:28, 29 June 2006 (UTC)

Weren't there also similar protests in 1972? Should that be mentioned? --24.147.86.187 16:11, 15 January 2007 (UTC)
 * There are other protests mentioned in the "History" section of the main Columbia University article; given the title of this article and the magnitude of 1968 alone, it's best left restricted to that year, I feel. -Cjs2111 19:20, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

"The protests came to a conclusion in the early morning hours of April 30, 1968, when the NYPD violently quashed the demonstrations. Hamilton Hall was cleared peacefully as African American lawyers were outside ready to represent SAS members in court and a tactical squad of African American police officers with the NYPD led by Detective Sanford Garelick (the same investigator of the Malcolm X homicide) had cleared the African American students out of Hamilton Hall. The buildings occupied by Whites however were cleared violently as approximately 150 students were injured and taken to hospitals, while over 700 protesters were arrested." Is this what happened? Jax 02:35, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

I agree. This and the Gym Crow section both seem very POV, and there are no sources for statements like "the African-American students claimed the white students couldn't understand..." I would like to request one of those page tags for the top of this article that states that the page is not up to quality, just so people don't get confused until the article can be improved. 160.39.181.59 (talk) 22:27, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

I'm undoing the edit about the Gym which states the land was "destined" for low cost housing. There's no citation and as far as I know, blatantly untrue.69.121.14.195 17:26, 21 October 2007 (UTC)

Gym Crow
The section on the gym seems POV to me, but I don't know enough about it to be sure. It implies that the design of the gym was entirely practical, and innocent of any discriminatory intent. I just read this article an article that paints a different picture: "...Kappner bore witness to the events of 1968, the memory of which still rankles with Harlemites. The university decided to build a gymnasium for its students on land that had been open to the neighbourhood. In what became known as the case of Gym Crow - a pun on the Jim Crow discriminatory laws in the south - the university tried to assuage angry residents by allowing them to use the facilities via a discreet side entrance. The plan backfired after black activists joined hands with students in bloody demonstrations that temporarily closed the campus." http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2213744,00.html

First of all, were local residents able to use the actual gym, or just a community center in the lower level? Were they allowed to enter on the upper level, or were only Columbia folks allowed? --Chinawhitecotton (talk) 01:41, 20 November 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Newsweek68b.jpg
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BetacommandBot (talk) 22:53, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Cct1968.jpg
Image:Cct1968.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to ensure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot (talk) 21:29, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

Biased Descriptions
"The students did not intend for any of these negative consequences; they  were simply doing the best job they could to stop the war in Vietnam and  battle racism in the United States..."

This is SUCH a dubious interpretation of the events. What is it exactly that the students did that helped accomplish this goal? I mean, yea, the University ended its affiliation with the IDA, but come on, it's not like that organization  was an instrumental part in either planning or waging the war itself. The events at Columbia in 1968 need to come under the scope of more objective criticism, and so does this article.

POV
Non-neutral POV concerns abound: and so on. Mostly uncited. czar ♔  01:18, 23 April 2014 (UTC)
 * "An important aspect of the 1968 Columbia University protests ..."
 * "However, this statement is problematic ..."
 * "covered far more of the events than did The Strawberry Statement, though he got a few names wrong"
 * I think that first sentence can be simply removed. I first found it usefull as an explanation for the later "In separating themselves from the white protestors early in the demonstration (...)", but this, because the paragraph first introduced is too badly written. No that much, perhaps: "This was because," can be simply removed too, and the reference to "agendas" may be inadequate. --Askedonty (talk) 13:48, 19 May 2014 (UTC)


 * Does anyone else have any proposed solutions, or the will to actually contribute new cited material to the page? Learner001 (talk) 16:05, 16 March 2017 (UTC)

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External links modified
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I have just modified one external link on Columbia University protests of 1968. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20060104162306/http://beatl.barnard.columbia.edu/columbia68/ to http://beatl.barnard.columbia.edu/Columbia68/

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Unsourced addition of 2024 protests as connected
PedramWiki1222 is insisting on adding a new section labeled "Effects on Future Protests" (including the WP:MOS-violating bolding and capital letters) with this paragraph:


 * On April 17th 2024, Columbia Students organized a "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" at the South Lawn of the campus. The protest resulted in over 100 arrests and multiple suspensions, including U.S. Representative, Ilhan Omar's daughter, Isra Hirsi. The protesters were inspired by the 1968 protests.

Unfortunately, I don't see anything about the 1968 protests in the cited source. Until and unless a reliable source can be found that makes the connection, this information doesn't belong in this article. ElKevbo (talk) 22:05, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

Article needs?
Good morning. I'm planning on working with a group to make some updates to this and related articles in two weeks. Are there any specific areas that we can assist with? Emjackson42 (talk) 15:34, 24 May 2024 (UTC)