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Photos: Is Occupy The New School A Fire Hazard?
By
Garth Johnston
Published Nov 23, 2011
Modified Nov 23, 2011
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Nov 23, 2011
Modified Nov 23, 2011
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Is the Occupy New School movement about to end? Last Thursday a number of students took over the school's study space at 90 Fifth Avenue (in a building not owned by the college) and at first the school seemed okay with it, as long as the occupiers respected the space and the building's other tenants. But as we saw yesterday with the "demands" some have written on the space's walls, things haven't worked out so great (we hear! The press isn't allowed). And now the building's owner reportedly wants the protesters to shoo. And some students, like the one who sent in the above photos, seem to agree.
Yesterday New School president David Van Zandt spent much of the afternoon trying to talk the occupiers out of the building and into a New School gallery nearby (where they wouldn't be able to spend the night). How successful he was remains to be seen. At 7 p.m. the occupation's General Assembly met for an emergency meeting to discuss the proposal but the results of their meeting have yet to be announced.
If they don't move though, the building's owner (RFR Holdings LLC) may force the school's hand. "I think the owner of the building isn't happy with the occupation," Van Zandt told the Wall Street Journal. Further, "A fire inspector visited Monday and told the university that the situation violated fire codes," a fact you can see in the above photo (#2) where fire exits are clearly being blocked. "We need to get them out of the space for safety reasons," Van Zandt said.
While the occupiers and the school and the building owners work out their issues (preferably without resorting to the tear gas used on New School students last time they pulled a stunt like this), the non-occupying students we've spoken to say they just want their study space back.
Finally, fun fact? Not only does the New School not own the space that the students have occupied, "it gets the space for free from one of the primary targets of the Occupy movement's ire: J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. is subleasing it to the school, according to New School spokesman Peter Taback."
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