Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has dropped charges against the majority of Columbia University protesters who occupied a campus building to protest Israel last month.
“Prosecutors told 14 others that their cases would be dropped if they avoid being arrested in the next six months, but those defendants rejected that offer and will be due back in court on July 25,” reported NBC. The 31 cases dismissed were either student or staff at Columbia, Barnard, or Union Theological Seminary. Defendant James Carlson, who has no affiliation with Columbia University, still has two open cases for separate charges, one of which includes flag burning.
The prosecutor said it would have been “extremely difficult” to prove the dismissed cases because the district attorney’s office lacks evidence, including surveillance footage from cameras that were covered up. The fact that some of the defendants wore masks also made it difficult to identify their specific actions.