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Alright, let’s cut through the noise. Two janitors at Columbia University, Mariano Torres and Lester Wilson, are fed up and fighting back. They’ve slapped a lawsuit on over 40 anti-Israel agitators who stormed a campus building last April, turning their night shift into a nightmare. This went down in Hamilton Hall, and the details are as ugly as you’d expect.
Filed Friday in New York’s Southern District, the lawsuit lays it out: on April 29, 2024, Torres and Wilson were just doing their jobs when a “highly coordinated mob” smashed their way into Hamilton Hall.
The suit doesn’t mince words, calling these protesters “occupiers” who “terrorized the two men into the early morning of April 30th, assaulted and battered them, held them against their will.” Yes, you read that right—janitors caught in a premeditated shakedown.
The protesters, according to the suit, were working off some “underground manual” like they were auditioning for a heist flick. This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment tantrum; it was a playbook to “take illegal action with impunity.”
When Torres and Wilson tried to hold the line and protect the building, they got hit with disgusting slurs like “Jew-lovers,” “Jew-worker,” and “Zionist.” Classy. The mob even renamed the place “Hinds Hall,” because apparently vandalism comes with a rebrand.
The lawsuit paints a picture of a calculated siege. These folks had “hand-drawn maps and diagrams of Hamilton Hall,” plus a stockpile of food and supplies to bunker down. We’re talking fire extinguisher locations, water fountains, electrical panels—hell, they even scoped out “heavy equipment” like podium toppers, tables, and benches to fortify their little fortress. This was no spontaneous protest; it was a tactical takeover.
The suit claims the group planned to “intimidate, harass, bribe, threaten, and/or assault and batter” anyone who got in their way. They were told to wear face coverings and dark clothing to keep things extra sketchy. One of the named defendants, 41-year-old James Carlson, allegedly got physical with Torres, shoving him and threatening, “I’m going to get twenty guys up here to f--- you up.” Torres, not backing down, reportedly shot back, “I’ll be right here.” Gutsy.
Carlson’s lawyer, Robert Gottlieb, isn’t buying it. He told Fox News Digital the claims are “patently false and defamatory.” Says Carlson is Jewish Armenian and “vehemently opposes genocide targeting any people.” Gottlieb insists his client never slung anti-Semitic slurs, never touched or threatened the janitors, and isn’t even in the photos tied to the complaint. “We will prove that,” he says.
We’ll see how that holds up.
The fallout? Torres and Wilson say they’re dealing with physical injuries and PTSD from the ordeal. Bad enough they haven’t been able to clock back into work.
They’re not just suing the individuals—groups like National Students for Justice in Palestine, AJP Educational Foundation, Inc., Faculty for Justice in Palestine Network, WESPAC Foundation, and People’s City Council are called out for allegedly orchestrating “anti-Semitic actions” on campus, even if they’re not named defendants.
Enter former Attorney General Bill Barr, now with Torridon Law, prepping the janitors. Barr is not holding back, saying Torres and Wilson “found themselves the victims of a hate-fueled, premeditated attack.” Barr’s framing this as a stand for accountability: “Mario and Lester are seeking the justice they deserve and sending a powerful message that those who terrorize others will be held accountable under the law.”
This isn’t just a lawsuit—it’s a line in the sand. Two guys who clean floors for a living are staring down a mob and saying, “Not on our watch.” Stay tuned, because this one’s far from over.
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