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Nineteen protesters at Pomona College arrested for breaking into and occupying president’s office
On Friday afternoon, what started as a peaceful pro-Palestinian demonstration at Pomona College turned into a chaotic situation as protesters stormed and occupied the college president’s office. The events of the evening resulted in the arrest of 19 students, who were later booked by riot-gear-wearing local police forces.
The protest was sparked by the dismantling of a student-erected pro-Palestinian protest art installation on the Claremont campus. The 32-foot-long, eight-paneled “apartheid wall” was meant to shed light on the plight of the Palestinian people living under the Israeli Occupation and to push for divestment from companies supporting Israel, as voted by students in February.
However, the peaceful protest was met with a heavy-handed police response, with students facing charges of misdemeanor trespassing and obstruction of justice. The Claremont Police Department, along with police from other local jurisdictions, responded to the scene.
Faculty members and supporters of the protesters criticized the administration for its handling of the situation, noting that students faced threats of suspension for engaging in non-violent protests. The use of tactical gear and assault rifles against students has been deemed as disproportionate and alarming.
Pomona College President Gabrielle Starr described the events leading up to the protest as an “escalating series of incidents” on campus. The dismantling of the protest art installation, combined with incidents of harassment and racial slurs directed at staff, set the stage for the confrontation in the president’s office.
During the occupation of the office, tensions escalated as more protesters joined in, leading to a heavy police presence on the scene. Student reporters were physically pushed out of the room, and efforts to document the situation were impeded by police actions.
Following the arrests, students were taken to the Claremont Police Department, where their attorney, James Gutierrez, was reportedly barred from seeing them. The students were later released in the early hours of the morning, but the repercussions of the protest continue to unfold.
Several students, primarily from Pomona, Scripps, and Pitzer colleges, faced emergency interim suspensions and potential expulsion from campus. The suspension notices issued to the students have raised concerns about their well-being and access to essential resources, especially for graduating seniors.
The incident has sparked a broader conversation about campus activism and police response to protests. Similar events have occurred at other universities across the country in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas conflict, highlighting the tensions and polarizing debates surrounding the issue.
As the fallout from the protest reverberates through the campus community, questions about free speech, student activism, and campus safety continue to be debated. The actions taken by both the protesters and the authorities have raised important considerations about the boundaries of protest and the responsibilities of institutions in addressing student concerns.
Ultimately, the events at Pomona College serve as a reminder of the complexities and challenges of navigating sensitive political issues on college campuses. The fallout from the protest will likely have long-lasting effects on the students involved, the campus community, and the broader discourse on social justice and activism.
News
Further Support for Gravitational Wave Background in the Universe
The discovery of the gravitational wave background in 2016 marked a significant milestone in our understanding of the Universe. This groundbreaking discovery was further validated by the release of a second data set from the European Pulsar Timing Array, along with the addition of data from the Indian Pulsar Timing Array. These complementary studies have provided more evidence for the existence of the gravitational wave background, shedding light on the cosmic phenomena that shape our universe.
Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime that are generated by violent processes such as merging black holes and colliding neutron stars. Predicted by Einstein in 1916 as part of his General Theory of Relativity, these waves have the ability to travel through space, largely unimpeded by any obstacles in their path. The first detection of gravitational waves in 2015 by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) confirmed their existence, originating from a gravitational merger between two black holes located 1.3 billion light years away.
The recent confirmation of the gravitational wave background by the European and Indian Pulsar Timing Arrays indicates that we are detecting a combined signal from the mergers of supermassive black holes. This random distribution of gravity waves that permeates the Universe offers a new avenue for studying the cosmos, akin to the Cosmic Background Radiation. The collaborative efforts of various observatories and research institutions have enabled us to delve deeper into the mysteries of the Universe.
Utilizing pulsar timing arrays as galaxy-sized detectors, researchers have been able to monitor and analyze the pulse arrival times of galactic pulsars on Earth. By detecting subtle patterns in these signals, they can uncover the presence of the gravitational wave background. The latest study led by J. Antoniadis from the Institute of Astrophysics in Greece delves into the implications of the low-frequency signals observed in the recent data releases from various pulsar timing array systems.
The accumulation of data from multiple sources has provided undeniable evidence for the existence of the gravitational wave background. With ongoing Pulsar Timing Array projects, the signals of the low-frequency gravity waves will become more distinct, offering a wealth of opportunities to explore the Universe in this novel way. The focus now shifts towards interpreting these signals to unlock the secrets of the cosmos.
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