Campus Alert Archive
Pomona

Five Hours in Carnegie Hall: Pomona's Oct. 7 Anniversary Takeover Injures Officer, Triggers Two Cascade Alerts

CAcivil unrestemergency notificationmedium confidence

On the first anniversary of October 7, 2024, masked protesters — most of whom Pomona later determined were not Pomona students — pushed past Campus Safety and occupied Carnegie Hall for more than four hours. A campus safety officer was injured, classes were disrupted, and visiting high-school students were relocated. Two alerts were sent: one from Pomona's Dean of Students at 1:30 PM PDT and a follow-up 5C-wide alert at 2:29 PM PDT.

Alerts
4
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
1
Institution
Pomona College
Private Liberal Arts · CA
~1,700 studentsPomona Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

4 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Verified verbatimPomona College official community-update page 'Protest Activity on Campus' — text confirmed verbatim from Google-indexed content of the official page and independently verified in ABC7, The Student Life (tsl.news), and Claremont Independent coverage of the October 7, 2024 Carnegie Hall incident710 chars
What started as a peaceful protest this morning has now turned into a subset of individuals currently taking over Carnegie Hall and disrupting academic continuity. Carnegie Hall is now closed, and all individuals should leave that building. We do not believe there is a physical threat, however, please stay away from Carnegie and its immediate surrounding area, to ensure everyone's safety. We will not permit the presence of masked, unidentifiable individuals on our campus refusing to show identification when asked. Nor will we stand for the takeover of buildings and the disruption of academic continuity – all of which happened today. Anyone involved in this disruption is subject to disciplinary action.
Verbatim text from the official Pomona College 'Protest Activity on Campus' community-update page, confirmed across multiple independent sources including ABC7 Los Angeles, The Student Life, and the Claremont Independent
Sent at 1:30 PM PDT on October 7, 2024 — approximately one hour after protesters entered Carnegie Hall at around 11 AM — by VP for Student Affairs Avis Hinkson
The phrase 'Carnegie Hall is now closed, and all individuals should leave that building' is a rare direct-eviction instruction in a campus protest alert — most institutions default to 'avoid the area'
Hinkson, not President Starr, sent the first alert; the 'we do not believe there is a physical threat' reassurance reflects deliberate de-escalation framing for a civil-unrest event rather than a violent one
UPDATEEmail+59 min
Approximate reconstruction397 chars
5C Community: The Claremont Colleges Services Campus Safety Department is currently responding to an incident at Carnegie Hall on the Pomona College campus. All community members should avoid the area surrounding Carnegie Hall and the Pomona College quad. Faculty should secure their classrooms. Anyone with information about individuals involved is asked to contact Campus Safety at 909-607-2000.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from TSL coverage of the 5C-wide Campus Safety alert sent approximately one hour after the Pomona-only Dean email
5C alerts cover all seven Claremont institutions (Pomona, Pitzer, Scripps, CMC, Harvey Mudd, plus CGU and KGI) via Claremont Colleges Services
By 2:29 PM PDT, approximately 100-150 protesters were outside the building with another 30-40 inside per Campus Safety estimates
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Approximate reconstruction483 chars
Pomona Community: I am writing with grave concern about events still unfolding at Carnegie Hall. Earlier today, individuals entered the building under false pretenses and have remained inside for several hours. During this time, staff have been verbally harassed, college property has been damaged, and a campus safety officer has been injured. We are working to restore order and have engaged additional security personnel. We will share further information as it becomes available.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed; later than Hinkson's 1:30 PM PDT message and the 2:29 PM PDT 5C alert, Starr issued a community-wide update describing the situation as still unfolding
Starr's escalation in tone — from Hinkson's earlier procedural message to direct condemnation — reflects increasing severity of the incident
The 'sickening, anti-black racial slur' phrasing widely associated with Pomona protest emails is from Starr's April 5, 2024 message about Alexander Hall, not from Oct. 7
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction406 chars
Pomona Community: Carnegie Hall has been cleared. The individuals who occupied the building have left, and Campus Safety is securing the area. The building will remain closed while we assess damage and ensure safety. Counseling and support services are available to staff and faculty affected by today's events. We are committed to a full accounting of what occurred and to holding individuals accountable.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from Pomona's Carnegie Hall Incidents FAQ summary of the evening 'building cleared' communication
Protesters left voluntarily after approximately 5 hours of occupation
12 students were subsequently identified, interim-suspended, and ultimately suspended for the remainder of 2024-25 academic year
Context

Background

On October 7, 2024, the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel, a coalition of pro-Palestine demonstrators staged a walkout at the Claremont Colleges. After a noon rally, a group dressed to conceal their identity pushed past Campus Safety and entered Carnegie Hall at Pomona College, occupying the building for more than four hours. Pomona later determined that 'the majority of whom were not Pomona College students.' Protesters zip-tied external doors, shoved staff, injured a campus safety officer, harassed faculty, and vandalized classrooms, faculty offices, common areas, alumni memorabilia, elevators, bathrooms, carpets and AV equipment. Vice President for Student Affairs Avis Hinkson emailed the Pomona community at 1:30 PM PDT; a 5C-wide Campus Safety alert followed at 2:29 PM PDT. Later in the afternoon, President G. Gabrielle Starr sent a starker community-wide message reporting that a campus safety officer had been injured. Protesters voluntarily left around 5:30 PM PDT. Pomona did not call police. In the aftermath, 12 Pomona students received interim suspensions that were later upheld for the remainder of the academic year, and non-Pomona participants were banned from campus.
Analysis

Key Findings

Two-tier alert structure: a Pomona-only Dean-of-Students email at 1:30 PM PDT followed by a 5C-wide Campus Safety alert at 2:29 PM PDT — reflecting Claremont's federated alert architecture
President Starr's late-afternoon escalation message — directly reporting a campus safety officer injury and property damage — is among the strongest plain-language statements issued during a 2024 campus occupation
Despite a five-hour occupation, property damage, and an injured officer, Pomona did not call police — a deliberate de-escalation contrast to the April 5, 2024 Alexander Hall response
Outcome
12 Pomona students received interim suspensions; many of the non-Pomona participants were banned from Pomona's campus for the remainder of 2024-25. A campus safety officer was injured. Carnegie Hall sustained significant property damage including vandalized classrooms, faculty offices, broken AV equipment, and zip-tied doors. Pomona later enacted policies banning masked protests on campus.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Protest Activity on Campus — Community Update (Pomona College)
    pomona.edu
  2. Student Paper
    5 Hours in Carnegie Hall - A Full Account of the Oct. 7 Takeover (Claremont Independent)
    claremontindependent.com
  3. Student Paper
    5C students walkout Oct. 7; occupy and vandalize Carnegie Hall (The Student Life)
    tsl.news
  4. News
    Student protesters occupy Pomona's Carnegie Hall (Claremont COURIER)
    claremont-courier.com
  5. regional media
    Dozens take over Carnegie Hall on Oct. 7 anniversary (Claremont Undercurrents)
    claremontundercurrents.com
  6. official statement
    Carnegie Hall Incidents FAQs (Pomona College)
    pomona.edu
  7. official statement
    Update on Disciplinary Action on Carnegie Hall Incidents (Pomona College President's Office)
    pomona.edu
  8. national media
    Pomona College Suspends 12 Pro-Hamas Students for Oct. 7 Vandalism (Algemeiner)
    algemeiner.com
Tags
civil-disturbancebuilding-occupationoctober-7-anniversaryvandalismofficer-injuredprivate-liberal-artsclaremont-collegescalifornia5c-alertmasked-protesters
Added May 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion