Harvard graduate speaks out after DA Bragg drops protesters' charges: 'Shocking'
Harvard University graduate Shabbos Kestenbaum joined 'Fox & Friends' to discuss his reaction to Alvin Bragg dropping charges for Columbia protesters and why he feels the Democratic party has abandoned him.
A lifelong Jewish Democrat said he feels "abandoned" by the party after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office dropped charges against dozens of anti-Israel protesters who barricaded themselves inside an academic building at Columbia University in April.
"I've been a lifelong Democrat, but… I think the party has abandoned me, and it's unfortunate because I believe in many liberal and progressive values, but it seems like they don't believe in me and they don't believe in Jewish Americans," Shabbos Kestenbaum said Tuesday on "Fox & Friends."
The Harvard graduate joined with protesters outside the Manhattan District Attorney's office on Monday to challenge what many view as a "dangerous precedent" set by dropping trespassing charges against the protesters.
MANHATTAN DA DROPS CHARGES AGAINST COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ARRESTED AT ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS
A group of Columbia University students, advocating for Palestinians, access the iconic Hamilton Hall building as they gather to stage a demonstration at the campus in New York, United States on April 30, 2024. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Kestenbaum, a registered Democrat since he turned 18, said while he doesn't want to abandon the party, Democrats' treatment of Jewish Americans has shown him that "the party very clearly want[s] to abandon me."
"Why are we being treated this way? Why the double standards? Why the inaction? And it's not just New York City. We saw these antisemitic riots yesterday in L.A., and Joe Biden, who is in charge of the Department of Justice, can investigate these crimes. He can crack down on antisemitism and those who are violating the law, but there's either this inability or unwillingness to protect Jewish Americans," he said.
MANHATTAN DA DROPS CHARGES AGAINST COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ARRESTED AT ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks during a press conference at the Louis J. Lefkowitz State Office Building on March 21, 2024 in New York City. Bragg's office has been criticized for dismissing trespassing charges against Columbia University protesters. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
He also finds it "shocking" that New Yorkers have to "beg" Bragg's office to prosecute crime in order to receive "equity, justice and the rule of law."
Stephen Millan, a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, said there was insufficient evidence to show that any individual defendant damaged property or injured anyone.
The DA's office said in a statement to Fox News Digital, "The Office is continuing to pursue cases from both campuses, including all assaults against police officers," adding, "There are ongoing school disciplinary proceedings for the students who had their case dismissed."
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Fox News' Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
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