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New York Officials Among Dozens Arrested in Schumer and Gillibrand Office Sit-In

The protest follows the senators’ vote to reject Sanders-backed measures to halt US arms sales to Israel in the face of Gaza’s deepening humanitarian emergency.

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Pro-Palestinian demonstrators protest in the lobby of a Midtown Manhattan building that houses the offices of the two US Democratic Senators from New York on August 1, 2025, in New York City.
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New York City Council member Tiffany Cuban, second from the left, first row, joins people protesting with Jewish Voices for Peace occupying the lobby to U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer Office In Manhattan Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. (Barry Williams/New York Daily News)

Overview

  • Dozens of protesters, including City Councilmember Tiffany Cabán and Assemblymember Claire Valdez, were arrested after occupying the lobby of 780 Third Avenue, which houses the Manhattan offices of Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.
  • Participants displayed signs reading “Let Aid in NOW,” “Stop Arming Israel” and “Let Gaza Live” and refused NYPD orders to disperse, resulting in zip-tied arrests and citations for civil disobedience.
  • The direct action was organized by Jewish Voice for Peace to challenge Schumer and Gillibrand’s votes against two Sanders-backed resolutions that would have blocked $675 million in weapons sales and assaulted rifle transfers to Israel.
  • Organizers cited United Nations estimates that one in three Gazans now endures days without food and that hospitals have treated over 20,000 children for acute malnutrition since April.
  • Many arrestees remain cited for refusing to vacate the building and face potential legal consequences as the movement escalates its tactics to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to US arms shipments to Israel.