A group of gray-haired residents are suing Columbia University over the closure of College Walk, a section of the Morningside Heights campus that was closed to the public following last year's Israel-Gaza war student protests. There is.
Neighbors say the closure violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prevents elderly residents from moving around the neighborhood, and breaks down a 70-year relationship between the university and the city that granted campus access to West 116th Street in the first place. They also claim that they will cancel the agreement. .
Plaintiff Christine Reuter, 67, told the Post: “The Colombian government is making my life more difficult by making it harder to access subways and closing off public roads.”
“It's not just me. I have neighbors who are much older than me and aren't very mobile,” Reuter added. “Because of Colombia's problems, they are stuck at home.”
Local residents also say the closure, which first went into effect in 2023 and has been lifted sporadically several times since then, will block a six-block “barrier” from West 120th Street to West 114th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Street. It is claimed that it has been created.
As a result of this closure, only those with a valid Columbia ID will be allowed access to the main campus, including College Walk.
Plaintiffs' attorney Toby Golic said the result would be a 15-minute walk or more to public transportation for people who live on the other side of campus, and residents like Philip Oufrey's 97-year-old mother. It is said that it is also having an impact. .
“I used to take my mom to campus, or my sister would take her to campus and we'd sit on the benches and sunbathe,” said Orfrey, another plaintiff in the lawsuit. Ta.
“We took her around campus, took the No. 4 bus, got her a pedicure, etc.,” he added. “When you add all these extra blocks, she has to get around all the obstacles on the sidewalk on 114th Street in Columbia. It's tough for her.”
“There are a lot of seniors involved in this petition because it's an extra block for them, and Columbia hasn't given us any accommodations at all,” Orfrey said. The lawsuit also includes an 86-year-old and a 92-year-old resident.
Golic said the 92-year-old local does her regular grocery shopping on the other side of campus, making it “very difficult to carry her luggage” during her long commute. Ta.
“114th Street may be dark, narrow and icy, but the campus is safe,” Golic added. “Columbia University campus is on lockdown.”
The lawsuit names not only New York City, but also the Department of Transportation and the New York City Police Department, neither of which responded to requests for comment Thursday afternoon. A city spokesperson said the lawsuit has not yet been served.
“The university is continually evaluating access to the Morningside campus,” a Columbia University spokesperson told the Post.
“We are committed to ensuring that all students feel welcome, safe and secure on campus, while balancing the desire for an open campus that is accessible to all important stakeholders at Columbia, including our neighbors. Columbia's commitment to New York City and our communities, and the daily experiences of our neighbors, will continue to weigh in with our decisions. We will continue to communicate with you.”
The spokesperson noted that some nationals who expressed difficulty due to campus restrictions were allowed on campus, but the plaintiffs said the process was difficult for older residents who are not accustomed to using smartphones or email. claims to be difficult.
According to the complaint, Columbia University reportedly paid the City of Columbia $1,000 in 1953 to close down the formerly public 116th Street West in Columbia with certain restrictions, including: The agreement also includes an easement for a pedestrian bridge that is planned to be constructed by the government.
According to the university's website, the sidewalk is described as “the main artery of the Columbia University campus,” and for the next 70 years it served as a safe passageway for pedestrians traveling east and west, as well as for neighbors, young It was used as a gathering place for families and Columbia University alumni. and family members of university employees.
The complaint adds that College Walk has been open to the public “day and night, seven days a week since 1984.” Graduation and other ceremonies, as well as the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, are reasons for the brief closure.
“It's terrible that people can't get on campus. I want to be able to access campus when I graduate,” Sam Nehin, 31, a graduate student at Columbia University, told the Post.
“We don't want this to become some kind of TSA zone,” he said, but insisted the public cannot return to campus “until it is guaranteed to be safe.”
“Obviously it's unfortunate that we have to close the doors to Columbia, but it's absolutely necessary,” agreed Elisha Baker, a junior at Columbia University. and the actual act of inviting outsiders into the gate and, if possible, blocking and harassing Jewish students through the gate. ”
“It's entirely the Free Palestine Movement's fault that the gates were closed,” the 22-year-old added.
The Columbia government finally provided access to College Walk to residents across the street from the president's residence on Morningside Drive, who had endured initial demonstrations in front of the president's residence and associated road closures. However, local residents in other areas of Morningside Heights have not been granted that permit. Same opportunity, plaintiffs argue.
“I had police who wouldn't let me into my building where I lived. This went on for months and months,” said the man, who has lived in the same building on West 116th Street since 1966. Ms. Orfrey said.
Golick said that since the campus opened to the public, customers like Mary Allen, 86, who liked to spend her free time on the quad, have lost a vital lifeline to others in the community. He claims that
“She loved just sitting there and watching the students. It was a lively place with frequent rehearsals and parents with young children,” Golic said. “And now it's kind of a place of death.”
“I don't blame the security guards…but they're sitting in a booth and they're saying if I walk through there they'll charge me with trespassing,” Reuter added. “I don't really care if I get arrested for this, but it's a big headache.
“I just want to do things in New York City that I can do without paying the high cost of living in New York.”
