Massachusetts

The Student Government Association at Emerson College has voted no confidence in President Jay Bernhardt following the arrest of more than 100 people during a pro-Palestinian protest earlier this week.

The SGA said they voted unanimously in a closed meeting, calling for the immediate resignation of the school’s president. They also denounced the way Boston Police acted, calling the arrests of protesters at a pro-Palestinian encampment violent.

This comes after the arrest of 118 at the encampment at Boylston Place Alley, which was set up Sunday and removed early Thursday. It led Emerson to cancel classes Thursday. The president issued the following statement at the time:

“Emerson College recognizes and respects the civic activism and passion that sparked the protest in Boylston Place Alley in support of Palestine while also holding and communicating concerns related to the numerous ordinance violations caused by their encampment. We also understand that clearing the encampment has significantly and adversely impacted our community,” Bernhard said in a statement.

Students say Bernhardt hasn’t handled the situation appropriately.

“He has routinely sent out insensitive emails, that have not only portrayed the facts accurately but also, failed to express empathy and failed to support the students that have been traumatized and affected by these events,” Nandan Nair, president of the Emerson College Student Government Association, said.

Students who witnessed the encampment being broken up described it as shocking — saying police pushed through the alley and violently removed protesters.

According to the Boston police report, officers asked people to leave the area of Boylston Place multiple time because they were in violation of a city ordinance by setting up encampment on private property – property Emerson warned students did not belong to the school.

Police also said several officers were injured during the arrests, but made no mention of injuries to protesters other than saying that EMS was present to assist with medical needs.

Students denounced that and said the police reaction was too violent.

“The Boston police have been very forward about lies, lies. Knowing that my friends have been severely injured and hearing accounts. We had a student who had his arm broken,” Charlize Silvestrino, a member of the SGA, said.

NBC10 Boston has reached out to Emerson College but has not yet heard back.

Similar protests continue at college campuses across the country, including nearby Harvard, MIT and Northeastern.

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(CARLA ON CAM)
WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO EMERSON COLLEGE FOR COMMENT BUT HAVE NOT HEARD BACK.

THIS VOTE WILL BE SENT TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE COLLEGE WHO WILL MAKE A FINAL DECISION.

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An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.

Police have also alleged that Estes Carter Thompson III, 36, of Charlotte, North Carolina, had recordings of four other girls using lavatories on an aircraft where he worked.

Thompson was indicted on one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of images of child sexual abuse depicting a prepubescent minor.

Thompson was charged and arrested in January 2024 in Lynchburg, Virginia. He has been in federal custody since. A lawyer for Thompson said after the indictment by a federal grand jury that he was unable to comment.

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Investigators said that about midway through a Sept. 2, 2023, flight from Charlotte to Boston, the 14-year-old got up to use the main cabin lavatory nearest to her seat but found it was occupied.

Thompson then told her the first-class lavatory was unoccupied and escorted her there, investigators said. Before she entered the bathroom, Thompson allegedly told her he needed to wash his hands and that the toilet seat was broken, they said.

After he left, the teen entered the bathroom and she saw red stickers on the underside of the toilet seat lid, which was in the open position, officials said.

Beneath the stickers, Thompson had concealed his iPhone to record a video, investigators said. The girl used her phone to take a picture of the stickers and concealed iPhone before leaving.

Prosecutors also allege hundreds of images of child sexual abuse generated through artificial intelligence were found stored on Thompson’s iCloud account.

Attempted sexual exploitation of children carries a sentence of 15-30 years in prison, while possessing images of sexual abuse of a prepubescent minor can mean up to 20 years in prison.

Both charges also provide for at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution.

American Airlines previously issued a statement saying the flight attendant was “immediately withheld from service” and hasn’t worked since the phone was discovered.

A search of Thompson’s iCloud account revealed four additional instances between January and August 2023 in which Thompson recorded a minor using the lavatory on an aircraft, according to investigators.

Those depicted in the recordings were 7, 9, 11 and 14 years old at the time, they said. Their families have been contacted by police, investigators said.

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