Mario Torres is a custodian at Columbia who tried to stop anti-Israel protesters from taking over Hamilton Hall, where he worked. A photograph of Torres pushing a “student” demonstrator up against a wall has gone viral; that “student” turned out to be a 40-year-old rich kid with no connection to Columbia. More on the custodian and the mob getting in the way of his work can be found here: “Exclusive: Columbia Custodian Trapped by ‘Angry Mob’ Speaks Out,” by Francesca Block, The Free Press, May 6, 2024:
It’s the viral image that captured the clash between the anti-Israel protesters who stormed Columbia and the campus workers who tried to stop them. As the mob invaded Hamilton Hall in the early hours of April 30, a facilities worker was photographed pushing a demonstrator against a wall.
Later, it emerged that the protester was a 40-year-old trust fund kid named James Carlson, who owns a townhouse in Brooklyn worth $2.3 million. The man who tried to hold him back was Mario Torres, 45, who has worked at Columbia—where the average janitor makes less than $19 an hour—for five years.
Now, in an exclusive interview with The Free Press, Mario Torres describes the experience of being on duty as protesters stormed the building in the early hours of the morning, breaking glass and barricading the entrances. “We don’t expect to go to work and get swarmed by an angry mob with rope and duct tape and masks and gloves,” he said.
“They came from both sides of the staircases. They came through the elevators and they were just rushing. It was just like, they had a plan.” Mario said protesters with zip ties, duct tape, and masks “just multiplied and multiplied.”
At one point, he remembers “looking up and I noticed the cameras are covered.” It made him think: “This was definitely planned.”
There was nothing spontaneous about the takeover of Hamilton Hall. The pro-Hamas demonstrators came prepared with zip ties and duct tape to be used on any employees in the building attempting to prevent their assault, and with masks to hide their identity, and just to make sure they would not be identified, they had quickly managed to cover all the CCTV cameras in the building.
Torres was trying to “protect the building” when he ended up in an altercation with Carlson: “He had a Columbia hoodie on, and I managed to rip that hoodie off of him and expose his face.” (Carlson was later charged with five felonies, including burglary and reckless endangerment.) “I was freaking out. At that point, I’m thinking about my family. How was I gonna get out? Through the window?”…
About half of the demonstrators at Columbia who have so far been arrested have turned out not to be Columbia students at all, but outside agitators, determined to swell the ranks of the mob on Morningside Heights. Torres managed to push one of the protesters against the wall and pulled away his face-concealing hoodie. That “student” was discovered to be James Carlson, 40-years-old man who had nothing to do with Columbia, but was eager to participate in any anti-Israel pro-Hamas demonstration that might be in progress. Torres wasn’t having any of the disruption. He wanted to do his job as custodian. Having pushed back against the mob, he now worries about whether, for opposing the law-breakers and defending Hamilton Hall, he might be in trouble with the pusillanimous administrators who had been so reluctant to arrest the demonstrators holding the building hostage.
Mario Torres should be asked to appear on news programs as the “Hero of Hamilton Hall,” a Hispanic male version of Barbara Frietchie, protecting university property from the frenzied hate-animated mob. He needn’t worry about losing his job; Columbia’s trustees and alumni, and the wider public, too, wouldn’t stand for it. In fact, he’s due for a raise, for defending his building against those who, according to plan, smashed its windows and doors, and were preparing to do even more damage once inside. Fortunately, the Columbia administration finally called in the NYPD, which cleared Hamilton Hall in a five-hour operation. The cost to the NYPD was $200,000, One hopes that the City of New York will be able to recover that amount from fines leveled on hundreds of demonstrators.
somehistory says
I read that these guys, basically maintenance men, are suing due to the lack of protection for them to do their jobs.
The photo of Mr. Torres shoving the convicted criminal, son of billionaires up against the wall is something. At first, I thought this man would be arrested for daring to lay his hands on the criminal who was breaking glass and laws.
I’m glad someone still has a sense of morality and law and order. And good for him facing the mob and asserting his authority in the process.
Transmaster says
Simple solution ban hoodies on campus. If you have a hoodie on you have to take off or be kicked off the campus.
If i was an employer with a business large enough I would send one of my people to see him with a job offer with more money and benefits, and pay for the move of his family. People like this are hard to find.
James Lincoln says
Columbia University custodian Mario Torres has more practical brainpower than the overeducated, overpaid, Leftist Columbia administrators.
STJOHNOFGRAFTON says
It’s comming out! A significant number of these pro-Hamas-pro-Palestinian protesters are not actual students but Soros backed professiloal infiltrators and rabble rousers. The real students are mostly lame-brained useful idiots who are regarded as expendable by Alinsky idealogue agitators.
Rick Olsha says
am israel chai !!!!!!
Carol Blair says
Uncommon integrity! And how many know any more who Barbara Frietchie was?
Keith O says
I have to wonder why these turds haven’t been charged with terrorism offenses?
They are, by simply supporting Hamas, a recognized terrorist organization, committing a terrorist act and as such should be charged, tried and convicted as such.