Protesters Arrested at Congressman Riley’s Binghamton Office

Some members of a group of people who spent the day outside Congressman Josh Riley's Binghamton district office were arrested by city police.

About a dozen people arrived at the office in the downtown Metrocenter around 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Many of them are members of the Ithaca-based Downtown Berrigan Collective. In a news release, the group said it is calling for "action to protect Palestinian lives."

The statement said Riley's support "for arming Israel runs afoul of domestic and international law."

Leslie Schultz, a member of the group, said they've tried unsuccessfully to set up a meeting with Riley to discuss issues related to the two-year-old war.

Among other things, the group is calling on the congressman to support banning the delivery of U.S. weapons to Israel and to support aid to help rebuild Gaza.

The demonstrators were not allowed into Riley's office. They stayed in the second-floor hallway near the entrance to the office suite.

Police monitored the situation throughout the day. Most of those who had been protesting eventually left the building.

By late in the afternoon, four demonstrators remained. Three of them were placed under arrest just after 3:30 p.m. and placed in a van to be transported to the police station a few blocks away.

Schultz said the three men who were arrested are from Ithaca. They were expected to be charged with trespass and released.

Police said there was no property damage during the demonstration and the men who were arrested were compliant as they were led from the Metrocenter complex.

WNBF NEWS VIDEO: How the daylong demonstration in downtown Binghamton ended on October 22, 2025.

Mauranda Evans, a spokesperson for Riley, emailed this statement to WNBF News Wednesday evening:

Everyone has the right to protest peacefully.

We also respect the building owner’s decision to enforce their policies following multiple requests over five hours from law enforcement for the group to leave the Metro Center.

We are grateful to the Binghamton City Police Department for its professionalism and for working to deescalate the situation and ensure everyone’s safety.

This story was updated to include the comments released by Riley's office.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or call (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.