NYPD arrests students on Barnard campus amid ‘active bomb threat’
The NYPD entered Barnard’s campus to clear students and faculty out of the Milstein Center amidst “an active threat” in the building. Nine protesters were arrested after refusing to leave.
Photography by Merielen Espino/The Barnard Bulletin
By Giselle Bradshaw, Theresa Cullen, and Riya Mahanta
March 6, 2025
Approximately 50 NYPD officers, including Strategic Response Group (SRG) members, entered Barnard’s campus on the evening of Wednesday, March 5 to respond to what the Barnard CARES team described as “an active threat” in the Milstein Center.
This threat was first announced at 4:17 p.m. in Milstein, by Kelli Murray, Barnard’s Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. According to Bulletin reporters on the scene, she notified protesters engaged in the concurrent sit-in and bystanders of "a threat in the building," but did not immediately reveal the nature of the threat.
In response to questions by protesters, Robin Levine, Vice President for Communications at Barnard, further explained that the College had “received a bomb threat,” adding that their instructions were “not a joke.”
A number of students, most of whom were seemingly unaffiliated with the protest, quickly began exiting the building. Protesters, however, internally elected to stay another hour, voicing concern that the administration was lying. In response, Murray said, “we need to bring someone in” to help clear the building and continued urging demonstrators to exit the building to stand on Futter Field.
Photography by Merielen Espino/The Barnard Bulletin
Around 4:37 p.m., NYPD officers began putting out barricades on Broadway, before congregating at the crosswalk in front of the Barnard gates at 117th Street.
Shortly after, the Barnard CARES Response Team notified the Barnard community of the “active threat” and police activity, with a request that students and faculty avoid the main gate at 117th Street, avoid the Milstein Center, and shelter in place to await further instruction.
At 4:52 p.m., NYPD officers entered the Barnard main gate at 117th Street and Broadway. The NYPD posted on X stating, “The NYPD is responding to a bomb threat at the Milstein Center at Barnard College and is evacuating the building. Anyone who refuses to leave the location is subject to arrest. Please stay away from the area.”
Photography by Merielen Espino/The Barnard Bulletin
Once reaching Milstein, NYPD officers forced protesters, as well as student and faculty bystanders, outside onto Garvey Walk and then onto Futter Field, where the protesters chanted: “Free, free Palestine.” Over megaphones, NYPD officers told the group to continue to walk away from Milstein due to a bomb threat in the building.
By 4:57 p.m., Milstein had been cleared of all protesters and students.
Just before 5 p.m., an NYPD SRG officer announced to those outside Milstein that they were in an “active bomb threat area” with another officer telling people to “be 1,000 feet out from the building.”
A few minutes later, officers started to shove protesters who remained on the lawns off Futter Field in the direction of Barnard Hall and the main gate. Throughout, protesters continued pro-Palestine chants.
Photography by Merielen Espino/The Barnard Bulletin
At 5:05 p.m., arrests began. Using zip ties, officers arrested remaining protesters who had refused to move off the field. At least one protester was thrown to the ground by officers before being zip-tied. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine posted a photo on X that appears to show detained protesters being led back into Milstein by NYPD officers.
Nine students appeared to be arrested in total, according to Bulletin reporters on the scene and an Instagram post made by CUAD earlier today.
Of the remaining non-detained protesters, some left campus voluntarily while another group was forcefully pushed out of the gates on 117th Street and Broadway by SRG officers as onlookers watched from the steps of Barnard Hall. Officers then blocked the entrance and briefly closed the gate entirely.
Photography by Merielen Espino/The Barnard Bulletin
By 5:40 p.m., chants by the protesters had restarted outside Barnard’s gates, while NYPD blocked off the street and sidewalks spanning from 116th Street to 118th Street.
Around 6 p.m., Barnard Residential Life and Housing emailed students that they could access the lounges in the off-campus residence halls 616, 121, and Plimpton in response to students being denied entry to campus.
By 6:30 p.m., the group of protesters had largely dispersed and the NYPD had taken down their barricades and left the immediate area.
Photography by Merielen Espino/The Barnard Bulletin
In an email sent out later that night, President Rosenbury confirmed that Barnard’s campus was secure and that there was “no longer a danger to our community,” referencing the “alarming” bomb threat from earlier. The email continued, stating that the “masked protesters put [the] entire campus at risk” and further mentions that Barnard staff stayed behind in Milstein “at risk to their own personal safety” to urge protesters to evacuate. Rosenbury concluded the email by broadly referring to the day as “unsettling and disturbing” and asserting that Barnard's request for NYPD assistance was a “necessary decision” informed by the “absolute obligation” Barnard has to ensure safety for all community members.
At 9:24 p.m., Barnard’s Student Government Association (SGA) published a public letter addressed to senior administration, writing, “Barnard College has broken a long-standing promise.” According to the letter, “SGA has been explicitly told by President Rosenbury, in the presence of other senior staff, that the College would never invite the NYPD onto campus.” SGA further stated, “Calling the police on campus is an act of cowardice.”
Barnard Bulletin Co-Editor-In-Chief Lily Sones contributed to reporting for this article.