by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

A year to the day after Hamas fighters attacked Israel, some 100 Claremont Colleges students held a divestment rally Monday, October 7 that led to the occupation of Pomona College’s Carnegie Hall. The action follows months of protests by activists demanding Pomona divest from companies they claim are profiting from Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

Students walked out of class just after 10 a.m. Monday and converged at Sixth Street and College Avenue, chanting and carrying signs in support of divestment and the Palestinian cause. The demonstrators moved to the steps of Carnegie Hall about 10:30 and moved inside just after 11. A video from 11:19 a.m. showed students escaping a first-floor classroom through a window prior to it being occupied by protesters.

Masked students block the west entrance of Pomona College’s Carnegie Building on Monday. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

Demonstrators inside Carnegie Hall then used signs to obscure windows on the east side of the building. Protesters blocked Carnegie’s west entrance, and another zip-tied the building’s north exit. Demonstrators used red spray paint to write “intifada,” meaning “rebellion” or “uprising,” on the walls of a hallway and an elevator.

Demonstrators allegedly spray painted a hallway at Pomona College’s Carnegie Building during Monday’s protest. Photo/courtesy of Emilio Bankier

Jewish students Julia Eason, a Claremont McKenna College sophomore, and Joshua Marx, a freshman at Pomona, maneuvered past protesters to access Carnegie’s  main lobby. Marx entered the building hoping to speak with protesters to understand their perspective.

“They said, ‘Next time, can you not try to promote dialog during an activism?’ And I don’t really understand why they would ask that,” Marx said. “Maybe it’s because they still think I’m trying to mess with them. But I wasn’t really trying to mess with them, I was trying to learn.”

Several student protesters were asked to comment during and after the demonstration, but all refused to identify themselves.

Eason said demonstrators questioned her presence. “I was just standing there saying nothing to anybody and they were like, ‘Are you a Zionist? Why are you here? What’s your business here?’ And it was just very scary that people would single me out on the basis of my religious beliefs, because I am a quote-unquote Zionist. I’m not allowed to be in a public building at this time.

“I think that it was important for me to see,” Eason added. “I just hope that the people who are partaking in these events can find it within themselves to look back on the horrific events that happened a year ago today for the Jewish community and find it in their hearts to empathize with us on that fact, as well as pushing for whatever cause they’re trying to promote today.

A 1:28 p.m. email from Pomona College read in part, “What started as a peaceful protest this morning has now turned into a subset of individuals currently taking over Carnegie Hall and disrupting academic continuity. Carnegie Hall is now closed, and all individuals should leave that building.”

Claremont Colleges students escape a first-floor classroom at 11:19 a.m. Monday prior to it being occupied by demonstrators. Photo/courtesy of Emilio Bankier

The email went on to advise people to, “please stay away from Carnegie and its immediate surrounding area, to ensure everyone’s safety. We will not permit the presence of masked, unidentified individuals on our campus refusing to show identification when asked. Nor will we stand for the takeover of buildings and the disruption of academic continuity — all of which happened today. Anyone involved in this disruption is subject to disciplinary action. We uphold the right to free speech and to protest within the lines of our long-established Claremont Colleges demonstration policy,” it continued. “As always, peaceful protest is allowed within demonstration policy. This action goes beyond policy.”

Demonstrators exited Carnegie shortly before 4 p.m. No arrests were reported.

A 5:21 p.m. email from Pomona College described the takeover as “disgraceful, especially on this day of mourning.”

Signs at the east entrance to Pomona College’s Carnegie Building on Monday. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

“This is a community of learning, and when individuals violate the rights of others to learn, or to teach, or simply to do their jobs, there are consequences,” read the email. “We will not permit individuals, whether our students or others, to violate our policies and our community. We have initial identification of several people involved, including a number of individuals from other campuses. As we identify others, disciplinary letters will be sent on a rolling basis. The individuals responsible face sanctions that may include restitution, suspension, expulsion, as well as being banned from campus. We will not, however, be commenting on individual cases.”

The email also indicated Carnegie would remain closed and classes would be relocated.

Monday’s occupation came six months after students staged a sit-in protest at Pomona College President Gabrielle Starr’s office in Alexander Hall on April 5, leading to the arrest of 20 students, 19 for trespassing and one for delaying or obstructing a law enforcement officer, all misdemeanors.

Bowman Cutter, an associate professor in economics at Pomona College, was inside Carnegie Hall during Monday’s protest and said he saw protesters push an administrator to the ground and shove a campus safety officer.

“They were grabbing and pushing her and I think somebody grabbed her radio,” Cutter said of the campus safety officer. “It looked like she went into the wall as well.”

Cutter said he saw protesters push to the ground Pomona College Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students for Academic and Personal Success Tracy Arwari.

“The first time, they just kind of lowered their shoulder, bouldered over Tracy,” Cutter said. “That first kid who came through just, full elbow check, shoulder down, bashed her straight into the door, in that middle post between the doors there. [I’m] just surprised she didn’t break an arm or something. I mean it was really hard. It was really violent and it was bad intentions with that elbow.”

“This is America,” Eason said. “I’m all for free speech and you know, people have the right to protest. But I just wish that some people would understand the significance of this day and maybe look a little bit more into the history in that region because I think a lot of them just … see stuff on TikTok or Instagram, and just kind of roll with it. And it’s not giving them really a well-rounded perspective.”

Again, several student demonstrators were asked to comment during and after Monday’s protest, but all refused to be identified.