West Virginia native Columbia student witnesses campus protests in NYC

NEW YORK (WBOY) — As New York Police Department officers cracked down on pro-Palestinian protesters on the campus of Columbia University overnight, a Ritchie County native was hunkered down in her dorm room preparing for finals.

“I can look outside my window and see the front gate where everything went on,” Taylor Osborne of Harrisville told 12 News in an interview via Zoom. “I can see all the protests, the police, the barricades they put up last night. I can see everything and hear everything too.”

The pre-med sophomore spent the whole day Tuesday in her dormitory room, ordering meals via GrubHub while the protests escalated.

New York police reported arresting about 230 people Tuesday night, including about 40 in Columbia’s Hamilton Hall, which had been occupied by protesters .

“I’ve been trying to stay as neutral as possible because I have friends on both sides,” said Osborne. “I have friends who are in the encampment and I also have Jewish friends who feel very scared on campus. So it’s been really difficult.”

Osborne said she generally feels safe in her dormitory and praised university officials for keeping students updated and as safe as possible. She’ll come home to West Virginia on Friday and plans on returning to Columbia to continue her studies in the fall semester.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com.