New York – Brooklyn College faculty passed a resolution condemning the New York Police Department’s infiltration of Muslim student groups, complaining that it threatens intellectual freedom and the civil rights of both pupils and teachers, the college said Monday.
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The college’s Faculty Council voted unanimously to condemn the practice, part of a broad intelligence-gathering operation that the NYPD has built in the last decade with the help of the Central Intelligence Agency. The collaboration was a focus of an Associated Press investigation, prompting the CIA to probe whether its actions violated laws that bar the agency from spying on Americans.
“The use of undercover police agents and the cultivation of police informers on campus has a chilling effect on the intellectual freedom necessary for a vibrant academic community,” the resolution said.
The Faculty Council passed the resolution on Sept. 13. It was first reported on Monday by NYPD Confidential, a blog run by reporter Leonard Levitt. A spokesman for the college, Jeremy Thompson, confirmed the resolution’s passage and said Monday that college President Karen Gould shared the professors’ concerns.
The AP’s investigation revealed that the CIA helped the NYPD set up a unit to monitor mosques, cafes and restaurants frequented by Muslims. It also placed undercover officers in student groups to listen to discussions.
“That’s what’s so troubling here: that it seemed like … this was a giant fishing expedition,” said Alex Vitale, a sociology professor who drafted the faculty resolution. “That seemed to be really beyond the pale of acceptable behavior, especially on a college campus.”
A 2006 document obtained by the AP listed a Muslim student association at Brooklyn College as one of seven college groups “of concern” in the city. It cited “militant paintball trips” and fundamentalist speakers.
The other groups were at Hunter College, La Guardia Community College, Baruch College, St. John’s University, City College of New York and Queens College.
The documents say police had undercover agents in the Muslim student associations at Brooklyn College and Baruch College.
The NYPD has said publicly that it only follows leads and does not troll for information.
Gould met with faculty on Sept. 13 and told them that police had informed administrators about any spying, Vitale said.
Brooklyn College has about 16,900 students and is part of the City University of New York.
As a Brooklyn College alum I can honestly say that the faculty needn’t worry about the investigations having a chilling effect on intellectual freedom at the college. Intellectualism has been absent from the BC campus for quite some time now, well before this investigation even began. If the faculty is searching for someone or some thing to blame for the lack of intellect on campus, I suggest it begin by looking in the mirror.
Misguided liberal crapolla….
Seriously!! I think the professors at brooklyn college have WAY to much time on their hands. They should be thanking the NYPD for protecting them on a daily basis from any attack on their campus. THey really need to get a life
When they did this to the Jews we complained. Don’t forget we were once “enemies” of the state. Terrorists, bandits, accused of crimes we didn’t commit. Crimes a government carried out specifically to blame us. Learn your history Yidden.
The ones who object to responsible monitoring of groups known to be “at great risk for trouble” should go back to Chelm.
Does ANYBODY care what the Brooklyn college faculty says?….
Didn’t think so.
We live in a world where everone is spied on in the name of security and the only ones that mind are the ones that have something to hide.
What if you have more than students in these groups?? The students are not going to tell the police and now the faculty is sitting back!! Doing what!!
Yawn. When was the last time that academicians supported the police?
Am I the only one who remembers that it was a group of engineering students that attacked us on 9/11?
Maybe I should take a poll at my Shul and then if the Rov permits I could put out a report stating that the Rov and board of my Shul commends the actions by the police in order to keep us safe.
To #10 - Evidently, you don’t remember historical events. In 1971, the Jewish Defense League bombed the offices of impresario Sol Hurok; he previously arranged for cultural events, such as the Russian ballet coming to NYC. A Jewish woman, a secretary, died because of the bombing. Also, in 1947, the King David Hotel was bombed by the Irgun. There were also innocent civilians who were killed in that bombing (both Jews and non-Jews).
Maybe the City should take away their funding!! That would be the only way to put them in their place!! If the city wants to put police on Brooklyn College grounds it is in order to protect the city and state at large noit just the University!!
Interesting – I am a student at BC and there’s lots of Islamo-pandering going on here.
I went there and a good majority of the professors they hire are completely incompetent fools who end up getting tenure. We’ve had professors that copy powerpoint slides and add the word “so” to it to make it look very original, we’ve had teachers who didn’t even know when classes end. the place is just falling apart and we should care what the few pro-arab ones have to say
To #17 - I stand by my remarks. Of the 91 personnel killed in the King David Hotel bombing, 19% or 17 Jews, were also killed. Also, for you to refer to another Jew as “an Arab”, amounts to Loshon Hora!