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New York Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Columbia janitors trapped, attacked by anti-Israel mob settle for undisclosed amount
Two Columbia University custodians, who filed complaints against the school over their chilling experiences of being trapped by an anti-Israel mob and forced to scrub swastikas, have decided to settle with the Ivy League, The Post has learned. Lester Wilson and Mario Torres, whose complaints sparked a civil rights probe, have opted to take advantage of Columbia's recently announced $220 million settlement for civil rights violations and racially discriminatory practices. The settlement is for an undisclosed amount of money. While that wraps up Wilson's and Torres' battle against Columbia, the two men are still forging ahead with their lawsuit against more than 40 protesters whom they allege held them hostage during the Hamilton Hall riot last year. Columbia had inked the $220 million deal with the Trump administration to restore the bulk of federal funding to the elite institution. 4 Mario Torres repeatedly dealt with anti-Israel agitators throughout last year. Getty Images The settlement featured $200 million for settling discrimination claims and about $20 million to employees who alleged they suffered civil rights violations. Wilson's and Torres' settlement comes from the $20 million pot specifically, as they had filed Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaints that sparked a civil rights probe into the school. Neither Wilson nor Torres is Jewish, but the two men were horrified and traumatized by the storm of anti-Israel protests that ripped through campus in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. 'The university set up the situation and ended up putting them into that situation, now the issue is holding accountable those who carried it out and were responsible for the takeover and the assault,' Brandeis Center president Alyza Lewin said in an interview. 4 The two janitors have not been able to return to work due to their injuries, a source told The Post. Getty Images The Brandeis Center and Torridon Law are working together on the ongoing lawsuit against the protesters. Both men had worked at the school for five years and suffered injuries during the protests and riots on campus. Neither man has been able to return to work since, a source told The Post. During the student takeover of Hamilton Hall in April of last year, Wilson and Torres were assaulted and chastised as 'Jew-lovers' by some of the rioters, according to the complaints they filed last October. ''I'm going to get twenty guys up here to f–k you up,'' one masked rioter who had 'violently' shoved Torres threatened, per his complaint. 'Mr. Torres pulled a fire extinguisher, which was within arm's reach, off the wall to defend himself and replied, 'I'll be right here.'' 4 The two janitors were traumatized by the hate they witnessed at Columbia University. Torres was repeatedly bludgeoned on his back by rioters before escaping, while Wilson had gotten shoved and had furniture pushed into him on his battle to get outside, per the complaints. Eventually, the NYPD intervened and cleared out the building, leading to over 100 arrests. Even before their traumatizing experience at Hamilton Hall, the two custodians had been forced to deal with racist and antisemitic graffiti scrawled on campus as early as November 2023. 'Mr. Wilson recognized the swastikas as symbols of white supremacy,' his complaint alleged. 'As an African-American man, he found the images deeply distressing. He reported them to his supervisors, who instructed him to erase the graffiti. 'No matter how many times Mr. Wilson removed the swastikas, individuals kept replacing them with more.' Torres, who is Latino, counted up dozens of swastikas that he was forced to scrub and grew enraged over time as he kept seeing the hateful graffiti around Hamilton Hall. 4 Columbia University has since agreed to a settlement and to change its policies to combat antisemitism on campus. Getty Images He was particularly troubled by the fact that Columbia didn't take aggressive action against the perpetrators, given that the school has security feeds and requires an electronic ID to get into the hall, which is nestled on the school's Morningside Heights campus. 'They were so offensive, and Columbia's inaction was so frustrating, that he eventually began throwing away chalk that had been left in the classrooms so vandals would not have anything to write with,' Torres' complaint alleged. 'However, Mr. Torres was reprimanded by his supervisor for doing so.' At one point, after Wilson reported a masked protester running through Hamilton Hall chanting, 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' and scribling swastikas in the building, campus security told him that 'the trespassers and vandals were exercising their First Amendment rights' and that 'nothing could be done,' according to his complaint. Former US Attorney General Bill Barr's firm Torridon represented the two janitors in their complaint against Columbia. The Post contacted Columbia for comment. Additional reporting by David Propper
New York Post
28-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Columbia janitors sue protesters who allegedly held them hostage in Hamilton Hall takeover — while revealing chilling maps used in attack
Two Columbia University custodians are suing more than 40 protesters from the Hamilton Hall riot who allegedly held them hostage — revealing chilling hand-drawn maps used in the 'highly coordinated'' attack. Mario Torres and Lester Wilson were carrying out their regular overnight shift at the historic university building in April 2024 when the masked protesters assaulted and battered them, held them against their will and derided them as 'Jew-lovers' and 'Zionists,' according to the lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court Friday. The suit also includes new details about how the protesters planned and carried out the violent occupation of Hamilton Hall — allegedly with the help of a how-to guide titled, 'Palestine Action: The Underground Manual.' 7 Columbia University janitor Mario Torres fights back against the Hamilton Hill protesters who allegedly attacked him April 29, 2024. Getty Images 7 The new lawsuit reveals the plans that the protesters prepared to seize the historic building. 'The co-conspirators had compiled information and had drawn maps of Hamilton Hall that identified, inter alia, the location of heavy equipment that could be used to fortify the building, including podium toppers, tables, and benches, the location of each door and window on the third floor including certain windows that needed to be blocked to secure the building, and the locations of fire extinguishers, water fountains, and electrical panels,' the lawsuit claims. The plaintiffs provided diagrams allegedly taken from the protesters that show mock-ups of the floor plans of Hamilton Hall, citing the key locations. Hours before the destructive takeover occurred April 29, the protesters held a meeting where they 'solidified and set into motion their coordinated plan to seize Hamilton Hall,' according to the lawsuit. 7 A masked demonstrator breaks the windows to the front door of Hamilton Hall during the protest. Getty Images The defendants handed out 'rope, zip ties, bike locks, food and water, cots, and other supplies' to carry out the raid — with the message to 'MOBOLIZE TO COLUMBIA NOW!' going out at 11:27 p.m., the suit says. James Carlson, 41, was among the alleged key conspirators named in the lawsuit who fought with Torres inside the hall after the mob allegedly failed to bribe him and Wilson, with the protester threatening to pummel Torres when he fought back, the suit states. 'I'm going to get 20 guys up here to f–k you up,' Carlson allegedly said. 7 Torres pins protester James Carlson to the wall, with the demonstrator allegedly threatening to then return with others to pummel the janitor. Getty Images Protesters Gabriel Yancy and Ethan Choi also allegedly punched Torres repeatedly during the confrontation, leaving the custodian with injuries in his upper body, the suit says. The lawsuit claims the students were trained and readied to take over Hamilton Hall by Lisa Fithian, a professional protester and protest consultant. The lawsuit also names protesters Aidan Parisi, Grant Miner, Catherine Curran-Groome and 40 John Does. 7 Carlson is currently on trial for his alleged violent participation in anti-Israel protests in New York. Steven Hirsch Robert Gottlieb, whose firm represents Carlson, said his client denies the allegations and that he is prepared to fight them in court. 'The claims against Mr. Carlson are patently false and defamatory,' Gottlieb told The Post. 'He never uttered at any time any antisemitic slurs to the plaintiffs.' Gottlieb said Carlson is a Jewish-Armenian who stands against 'genocide against any people.' Representatives for the others named in the lawsuit could not be immediately reached for comment. 7 Columbia has taken action against 22 students who participated in the illegal occupation last year. J.C. Rice The lawsuit claims both Torres and Wilson suffered multiple physical injuries from the night of the Hamilton Hall occupation, with the two men suffering from PTSD that has required ongoing medical care. The two men have also been unable to return to work since the night of the protest, with the plaintiffs looking to win unspecified damages to cover their lost wages and medical expenses. 'Mario and Lester went to work to provide for their families and instead found themselves the victims of a hate-fueled, premeditated attack,' said former Attorney General Bill Barr, co-founder of Torridon Law, which helped file the lawsuit. 'Mario and Lester are seeking the justice they deserve and sending a powerful message that those who terrorize others will be held accountable under the law.' 7 Protesters are seen barricading themselves inside Hamilton Hall. REUTERS Carlson is currently on trial for his participation at Hamilton Hall and for allegedly snatching an Israeli flag from a Jewish man and burning it during an April 20 protest. He has pleaded not guilty. Parisi and Curran-Groome filed their own lawsuit against Columbia in February, accusing the school of wrongfully suspending them and kicking them off campus for their political activity. Miner was expelled from the school in March as part of the university's disciplinary hearings against those who took part in the protest. The janitors' lawsuit was also filed with the help of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, which has also levied a suit against protesters at the University of California, Los Angeles. The suit accused the National Students for Justice in Palestine, AJP Educational Foundation, Inc., Faculty for Justice in Palestine Network, WESPAC Foundation and People's City Council of coordinating attacks against Jewish students and denying them equal access to campus. 'Protesters designated teams of security personnel armed with wooden planks, makeshift shields, pepper spray, tasers, and even a sword to man 'checkpoints' and 'human phalanxes' designed to intimidate Jewish and Israeli students and faculty,' the suit states.
