Todd breaking right now at Columbia University, protesters stormed and taken over an Academic Building on campus called Hamilton Hall, Smashing Windowings and forming a barricade inside. Student protest group says they will continue demonstrations until the school meets their demands of divesting from israeli groups. Im todd piro, Carley Shimkus is off. In a moment well speak with new york congressional candidate allison espisito, to break down what shes seeing in this developing situation. First doug luzader live with everything we know now. Doug this spiralled out of control quickly at Columbia University. Students have broken into an Academic Building there. Watch. [chanting] [cheering] doug students have barricaded doors, used table and chairs and zip ties to secure doors. This representing escalation at a school that has been at the center of this nationwide protest movement. Protests are not letting up. Demonstrators have Command Eared parts of the campus, demanding the school divest from israel and want to make sure they face no consequences for their action. At columbia, Associated Press this took over 12 hours after monday deadline for protesters to leave their encampment, about 120 tents at columbia alone. This highlights different approaches students have taken. At columbia, there were initial arrests and then the school backed off. Back here in washington, we have the white house condemning lawbreaking, steering clear of direct criticism of how schools are handling all of the protests. As we see, at columbia, they are getting larger and it is clear the negotiations have not solved this. Todd call this what it is, invasion, when you illegally enter a place by force, what we are seeing on the screen, that is an invasion. Lets bring in allison espisito, retired police officer. Your opinion of this getting this far to happen. Good morning. Thank you for having me. That is exactly what this is, anarchy, absolute unrest and it is unacceptable. You have a group of overly emoti emotionally and under informed indiv individuals. It is absolutely ludicrous. You have group of students that have taken over a building and reports overnight of Faculty Members that were inside the building and briefly held hostage. This will escalate and get worse until someone gets hurt. It is time for strong, decisive leadership. You see schools around the country where some leaders are stepping forward and stopping the anarchy. These students believe they are not accountable for their akszs and that is pinpointed where criminals are not held accountable for their actions. Take a hard stand and end this now before it gets worse. Todd as a police officer, give us a description of Law And Order, controlling mobs. How would you put a swift end to this before scenes like this could think of happening . So this is beyond negotiation at this point. As new York City Police officer, retired as inspector of the 70th police precinct, we dealt with a lot of protests. Social protest, abiding by the law is one thing. W once you are stopping emergency vehicles, taking over schools, not allowing students based on their jewish faith to cross into buildings, you have gone into the criminal element of this and it has to be dealt with. They have to be held accountable for their actions. They are demanding amnesty, that is unacceptable. Leaders must be taken into custody and handled accordingly. They are Holding People hostage, report of jewish student or individual being tased yesterday on one campus. It is time for decisive, strong leadership. Students must be held accountable. Nypd or National Guard. Nypd are the best in the business, they will go in and make arrests with professionalism. Un stereos need to understand, if you do the crime, you are held accountable and leadership in the government and colleges need to step forward and hold students accountable. Todd you said National Guard, do we need to see National Guard today when the sun comes up, if you can mobilize them that quickly . We dont need the National Guard in new york city. The nypd is ready and capable of handling protest such as this. Handling mob crimes such as this. They are absolutely capable of going in there and ending this today. They did it with occupy wall street, we did it with the protest, mostly peaceful protest aka riots of 2020, they need to be allowed to do their job. Todd i asked you what you would do. You ware running for congress, f you get to congress, what will you do to put a stop to this . Well, listen, im a Law And Order candidate and governments number one job is to keep their people safe and they are failing to do that. Im running for United States congress because we do we are seeing decline of Law And Order in this country and it is not Rocket Science 101. Hold i believe cs accountable for their action. If you take the leaders of this p protest into custody, No Normalcrashes Y will resume. It has to come out of albany, washington and hallowed hauls of academia. Todd you mention consequences, there need to be consequences for our actions in life, this scene, child who is one year old and you try to teach them right from think wro. These protesters, this is wildest part of the story. They are demanding israeli divestment and amnesty, whether breaking glass, preventing people from taking finals, it is intimidating fellow students, many of whom are jewish. What is your message to these children who want no co consequences for their actions . The adults in the room need to take over this situation. These are same students that are not going to be allowed to graduate, that went through the p pandemic. Adults need to take over, you dont have amnesty, you dont get to demand amnesty in name of social protest, that is not how this works. These students need to understand there are consequences to your actions and you dont get to because you dont agree with something, this is not the way life and society works. This Society Needs to come down and make sure they know there are consequences for their action. I call on the adults in the room that know better, should know better telling students, you will not get amnesty, you will be suspends and students have right to study peacefully and enter buildings on campus based on 70,000 per year tuition their parents are paying. Todd lets bring in bryan ilenas live at columbia. What is the scene there now . We are on the Amsterdam Avenue Side of the campus, the opposite side of where most press has been over last two weeks. You see the gates are locked here. Nypd is outside. Inside this is close as we can get to Hamilton Hall, which is where the students are occupied inside. There was chanting as soon as 4 00 a. M. , right now it is quiet. This is what we know, be about 12 12 30 in the morning according to the columbia spectator, the school newspaper, students were picketing outside Hamilton Hall and a bunch of students with Sleeping Bags and gear left the picket line and stormed the building and barricaded themselves using chairs and tables and the newspaper says they used zip ties to lock down the door. Protesters outside Hamilton Hall locked arms to keep people from going in and chanting started and banter with written things like intifada and free palestine. Inside, there were three Facility Workers inside of Hamilton Hall when this went down and the three workers left the building shortly after. One said they held me hostage in there. That is the situation we are dealing with right now. There are dozens of occupiers, protesters inside of Hamilton Hall. The university has not sent an official statement or language. There was a Public Safety alert sent out according to the oncampus newspaper alerting people there was a protest happening on campus. We have spoken to nypd, they have not been called in. There are no plans for nypd to go inside. The Student Newspaper reports an nypd officer did say they would go in and they thought somebody was potentially getting hurt or was hurt from this. This hour, this is what were dealing with, dozens reportedly we understand from the Student Newspaper. And a Student Organization sent out press release, they say they plan on occupying hamilton until three demand are met, one, the university divest from companies associated with israel, Financial Transportarency and universal amnesty, they do not want disciplinary action or punishment at all, even though they have stormed Academic Building, occupied it, barricaded themselves inside of that Academic Building, they want promise from the university they wont be punished at all. Those are three demands and they promise to have Hamilton Hall until their demands are met. They renamed Hamilton Hall hines hall, in honor of a sixyearold Palestinian Girl who was reportedly killed in gaza on january 29th during military operations there from israel. That is what they have renamed Hamilton Hall at the campus. Nypd here they are here, have not been called in by the university, they are on standby and there are no plans to go in, they have not received as of last hour instruction from columbia to go in or do anything about dozens of protesters occupying Hamilton Hall on the other side of that gate. Todd when i hear you say there were workers inside, legal alarm bells go off, that is false imprisonment and kidnapping and not something any law should absolve anyone from. You cant say, i want amnesty for false imprisonment or kidnapping, that is not how this works. Maybe a broken window and i shouldnt go that far. That cannot happen. You mentioned the press rel releases, you are more than a couple kids gathering on The School Green to voice your. This is organized by outside forces. Any sense how much outside forces, financially backed entitiies are leading to the scenes of anarchy we are watching on the screen . Its a great question and i think wonce we understand who i inside and who the occupiers are, we will get a better sense of who the organizers are. We are seeing posts on x or social media from official organizations that are leadsing t this. Columbia University Says they know the identity of many of those inside the uncamp mment since april 17th and have begun suspending those students. Well have to see who is leading this, there are many students according to university that are receiving suspensions. Despite everything the university has done and despite mass arrests on april 18th and threat of suspension, that has done nothing and it has gotten worse on campus with an Academic Building being fully occupied. Nique next question, what does Columbia University do . They set deadlines that are moved and surpassed and students are emboldened to continue to p protest and now have a building that is occupied and according to them, theirs. Some other details in this, according to the on campus newspaper, they blackened out the Security Cameras inside. This was well organized and banners that were unfurled from this building, i will read, they say gaza calls columbia falls, another banner read intifada student intifada, liberation, education. Just come some banners that were unfurled in front of this building. We are not hearing cheering at this moment, that has stopped over the last 45 minutes or so. This is a private university so this is close as we can get at this moment to see for ourselves. We have not reports of injury or anybody that is being held hostage or anything. I think it is just important to note the napier said there were Facility Workers inside when this building was stormed this morning and they went out and one worker said they held me hostage in there. Todd that is illegal, you cant do that. If i remember one thing from summer of 2020, it was your amazing reporting all hours of the night during the george floyd riots, call them what they were. What is your sense, when you look at this situation, do you think we could be headed there . Do you think we are already there . These are horrible moments in our history. Bryan i think 2020 summer was something else, you had entire city up for grabs at that moment and it was intense moment happening nationwide. This is happening on one campus in the city, when i take a step back and realize all these universities across the country are getting their message from what is happening at columbia. This was the first major protest that launched the other protests were seeing nationwide. It is important to see how the police and nypd react and how this administration acts and how far these students are willing to go. If anything we learned from 202, people were going as far as police and people were allowing them to go. There was true Lawless Nness Unl they took action. That could happen if the administration continue to say they are going to do something and they dont. At that moment, that is when i feel thaeyll put nypd in a particular situation to go in there on University Campus and deal with mostly students right before commencement. This is major escalation to occupy a building and i think at this moment, fascinating to see what this school does. Important few hours how the school reacts. Seemingly they have only been embolden by university actions. Todd this will go as far as adults in the room and leaders allow it to go. In 2020 it went too far, this seems it is heading down that path. With that, more Fox And Friends First after this. We love being outside, but the sun makes our deck and patio too hot to enjoy. Now thanks to our new sunsetter retractable awning, we can select full sun or instant shade in just 60 seconds. Its 20 degrees cooler under the sunsetter and we get instant protection from harmful uv rays and sun glare. For pricing starting at less than 1,000, transform your Outdoor Living space into a shaded retreat your family will love when you call, well rush you a special 200 Discount Certificate with your free awning idea kit youll get your sunsetter for as little as 799. But, this is a limited time offer for over 20 years, sunsetter has been the bestselling retractable awning in america call now for this free awning idea kit packed with great Awning Solutions that will let you enjoy your deck or patio much more often. Plus, get this 200 Discount Certificate that will bring you your sunsetter for as little as 799. But this is a limited time offer. Call now sunsetters are backed with up to a 10year limited warranty more than 1 million families in america own and love their sunsetter. Now, you too can discover why life is better under a sunsetter. its like putting an extension on your home. And talk about options choose motorized or manual and for just a little extra, Add Led Lighting for evening enjoyment. There are so many incredible styles to choose from in our free awning idea kit. Get a custombuilt awning, without the custombuilt price call now to get the whole sunsetter story. Youll get this free awning idea kit. Plus, a 200 Discount Certificate and theres no obligation. With sunsetter, youll create the ultimate Outdoor Living space. Perfect for entertaining friends. Call now for your free awning idea kit, with local dealer info and 200 Discount Certificate. life is better under a sunsetter act now and save after last months massive solar flare added a 25th hour to the day, businesses are wondering what should we do with it . Im thinking company wide power nap. [ Employees Snoring ] anything can change the world of work. From hr to payroll, adp designs for the next anything. Todd fox news alert, breaking now at Columbia University, protesters stormed and taken over an Academic Building on campus called Hamilton Hall. They are smashing windows and forming a barricade inside. There are reports of workers at columbia saying they felt they were being held hostage by protesters inside the building. Constitutional attorney mark smith joins us to talk about the criminal and legal aspect to all of this. Beyond university discipline, what laws have these individuals, protesters, broken by doing what we have reported so far and what you have seen . Reality is First Amendment<