Two Columbia College custodians are suing greater than 40 protesters from the Hamilton Corridor riot who allegedly held them hostage — revealing chilling hand-drawn maps used within the “extremely coordinated’’ assault.
Mario Torres and Lester Wilson had been finishing up their common in a single day shift on the historic college constructing in April 2024 when the masked protesters assaulted and battered them, held them in opposition to their will and derided them as “Jew-lovers” and “Zionists,” based on the lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal courtroom Friday.
The swimsuit additionally contains new particulars about how the protesters deliberate and carried out the violent occupation of Hamilton Corridor — allegedly with the assistance of a how-to information titled, “Palestine Motion: The Underground Handbook.”
“The co-conspirators had compiled data and had drawn maps of Hamilton Corridor that recognized, inter alia, the placement of heavy gear that may very well be used to fortify the constructing, together with podium toppers, tables, and benches, the placement of every door and window on the third ground together with sure home windows that wanted to be blocked to safe the constructing, and the places of fireplace extinguishers, water fountains, and electrical panels,” the lawsuit claims.
The plaintiffs offered diagrams allegedly taken from the protesters that present mock-ups of the ground plans of Hamilton Corridor, citing the important thing places.
Hours earlier than the harmful takeover occurred April 29, the protesters held a gathering the place they “solidified and set into movement their coordinated plan to grab Hamilton Corridor,” based on the lawsuit.
The defendants handed out “rope, zip ties, bike locks, meals and water, cots, and different provides” to hold out the raid — with the message to “MOBOLIZE TO COLUMBIA NOW!” going out at 11:27 p.m., the swimsuit says.
James Carlson, 41, was among the many alleged key conspirators named within the lawsuit who fought with Torres contained in the corridor after the mob allegedly didn’t bribe him and Wilson, with the protester threatening to pummel Torres when he fought again, the swimsuit states.
“I’m going to get 20 guys up right here to f–okay you up,” Carlson allegedly mentioned.
Protesters Gabriel Yancy and Ethan Choi additionally allegedly punched Torres repeatedly in the course of the confrontation, leaving the custodian with accidents in his higher physique, the swimsuit says.
The lawsuit claims the scholars had been educated and readied to take over Hamilton Corridor by Lisa Fithian, knowledgeable protester and protest marketing consultant.
The lawsuit additionally names protesters Aidan Parisi, Grant Miner, Catherine Curran-Groome and 40 John Does.
Robert Gottlieb, whose agency represents Carlson, mentioned his shopper denies the allegations and that he’s ready to combat them in courtroom.
“The claims in opposition to Mr. Carlson are obviously false and defamatory,” Gottlieb informed The Publish. “He by no means uttered at any time any antisemitic slurs to the plaintiffs.”
Gottlieb mentioned Carlson is a Jewish-Armenian who stands in opposition to “genocide in opposition to any folks.”
Representatives for the others named within the lawsuit couldn’t be instantly reached for remark.
The lawsuit claims each Torres and Wilson suffered a number of bodily accidents from the evening of the Hamilton Corridor occupation, with the 2 males affected by PTSD that has required ongoing medical care.
The 2 males have additionally been unable to return to work because the evening of the protest, with the plaintiffs seeking to win unspecified damages to cowl their misplaced wages and medical bills.
“Mario and Lester went to work to supply for his or her households and as an alternative discovered themselves the victims of a hate-fueled, premeditated assault,” mentioned former Legal professional Basic Invoice Barr, co-founder of Torridon Regulation, which helped file the lawsuit.
“Mario and Lester are searching for the justice they deserve and sending a robust message that those that terrorize others will probably be held accountable underneath the regulation.”
Carlson is presently on trial for his participation at Hamilton Corridor and for allegedly snatching an Israeli flag from a Jewish man and burning it throughout an April 20 protest. He has pleaded not responsible.
Parisi and Curran-Groome filed their very own lawsuit in opposition to Columbia in February, accusing the college of wrongfully suspending them and kicking them off campus for his or her political exercise.
Miner was expelled from the college in March as a part of the college’s disciplinary hearings in opposition to those that took half within the protest.
The janitors’ lawsuit was additionally filed with the assistance of the Louis D. Brandeis Middle for Human Rights Beneath Regulation, which has additionally levied a swimsuit in opposition to protesters on the College of California, Los Angeles.
The swimsuit accused the Nationwide College students for Justice in Palestine, AJP Academic Basis, Inc., College for Justice in Palestine Community, WESPAC Basis and Individuals’s Metropolis Council of coordinating assaults in opposition to Jewish college students and denying them equal entry to campus.
“Protesters designated groups of safety personnel armed with wood planks, makeshift shields, pepper spray, tasers, and even a sword to man ‘checkpoints’ and ‘human phalanxes’ designed to intimidate Jewish and Israeli college students and college,” the swimsuit states.
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