Two years ago today, on May 2nd 2024, New York State Police and the Ulster County Sheriff's office raided the Gaza Solidarity Encampment and arrested 133 students and community members. This was one of the highest number of arrests at a single school for the entire spring. A letter signed by over 120 SUNY Faculty decried the excessive use of police force which led to hospitalization, concussion and the arrest of a news reporter.

State troopers arrived with drones, helicopters, riot gear and K9 units and proceeded to tear apart and then bulldoze the encampment which began on May 1st and had been peaceful and in compliance with SUNY’S demands. Details of the night & this trauma are explained in a class action lawsuit made against SUNY President Darrell P. Wheeler in his individual capacity, Sheriff Juan Figueroa, in his individual capacity, NY State Police, Ulster County Sheriff’s office and the New Paltz state police for excessive force and unlawful arrest. Currently this lawsuit is still underway as a motion to dismiss was denied.

Our film production company Baggysuit has put together this installation screening because we feel May 2nd is critically underexamined in local discourse and the state repression that occurred here and across the nation during the spring of 2024 informs our current moment of chilled campus dissent and increased surveillance and repression against those protesting ICE.

This installation further seeks to contextualize this event by exploring the occupation of an administration building by students that occurred after the Kent State Massacre in May 1970, and how SUNY NP President Neumaier's response to student protests differed drastically from the course taken by current President Darrell Wheeler. We also further examine the demands of the student protesters and how SUNY New Paltz contracts can be tied to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. Two years out it is vital that we keep the conversation alive regarding Palestine and the crushing of student activism on campus.

-James Hyland

Table of Contents

FIG. 1 Phone photos and videos of May 1st & 2nd.

FIG. 2 Footage from faculty meeting.

FIG. 3 Video regarding 1970’s occupation.

FIG. 4 Footage of May 2nd + Interviews.

FIG. 5 Video regarding SUNY’S contracts with Siemens.

FIG.6 The chronology of the night of May 2nd according to the class action lawsuit brought by Micheal Sussman.

FIG. 7 2024 Student Demands.

FIG. 8 1970 Matzdorf letter to the editor.

FIG. 9 1971 Neumaier resignation letter.

FIG. 10 Excerpt from Oracle article about 1970 Protests.

FIG.1

A collection of Instagram stories and phone videos chronicling the encampment on May 1st and 2nd, before, during, and after negotiations with administration. During negotiations students are told by Wheeler that SUNY has a rule against tents and not gatherings, however when students acquiesce to removing the tents, SUNY’S demands shift, now saying that students must vacate the quad by by 9:00 pm. When a student asked what would happen at 9 pm, Associate Vice Principal Patterson replied, “I don’t have an answer to that.”