With help from Shawn Ness
New from New York
Happening now:
- Mayor Eric Adams spoke about why it was time to break up protests on college campuses.
- New York has a new secretary of state who will need approval from the state Senate.
- New York City’s budget is growing.
- Why Attorney General Tish James and her colleagues are suing the NCAA.
THE OTHERS DEFEND THE TAKE-OVER OF THE CAMPUS: Police were not only arresting pro-Palestinian protesters at Manhattan colleges Tuesday night, they were also protecting “kids” from “outside agitators,” Mayor Eric Adams said, defending the NYPD in a round of media appearances this morning.
“This is a global problem: young people are being influenced by those who are professionals in radicalizing our children,” Adams said at a news conference with police Wednesday morning. “And I’m not going to let that happen as mayor of New York City.”
Adams declined to elaborate on who the agitators were. And while it is not in doubt that some of the people protesting on campuses were not students, the main evidence from the NYPD today – that protesters who took over a building used thick bicycle locks favored by students – was objected to. online teasing.
The police actions were the largest mobilizations yet by New York City police in response to recent pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses. Adams emphasized that Columbia University and City College formally requested the NYPD’s help in responding. Protesters at Columbia had taken over and blocked an academic building on campus, and at City College, they set up tents and occupied a main lawn on campus.
The NYPD said 173 people were arrested in City College and 109 in Columbia on Tuesday night.
Top Democrats, including Gov. Kathy Hochul and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, backed the high-profile law enforcement responses.
“As far as I can tell, the NYPD’s efforts were thorough, professional, and exercised the degree of calm in a very tense situation that should be commended,” Jeffries said at a news conference today. POLITICO’s Nicholas Wu reported.
“The rest of the campus should not live in fear because you are demanding the exercise of your rights,” Hochul said in a separate press conference. “But that’s what’s started happening on our campuses over the past few weeks.”
But New York Civil Liberties Union executive director Donna Lieberman said reports that police shut down city blocks, pepper-sprayed protesters and threw them to the ground showed the response was “counterproductive and frankly dangerous”.
“While other campuses across the country have engaged in productive dialogue with protesters, last night at Columbia and City College the NYPD responded with intimidation and violence. — jeff coltin
SEND AN SOS: Former Assemblyman Walter Mosley is Hochul’s choice to become New York’s next secretary of state, his office announced today.
“The State Department plays a critical role in implementing a wide range of government services, from the Downtown Revitalization Initiative to the Office for New Americans,” Hochul said in a statement.
“Walter Mosley’s public service in the New York State Assembly and his years of leadership in his community have provided him with the skills and experience necessary to lead this Department into the future.”
The Democratic assemblyman represented Brooklyn in the Assembly from 2013 to 2021 and lost a primary to Phara Souffrant Forrest.
If confirmed by the state Senate, Mosley would replace Robert Rodriguez in the position. Rodriguez was nominated last month to become president and CEO of the state Dormitory Authority.
““I am deeply honored to have been chosen by Governor Hochul to serve as Secretary of State,” Mosley said. “My career has been about finding ways to make government work for the people, and I am thrilled to take on this critical role in state government.” — Nick Reisman
BUDGET OBSERVERS: The Citizen Budget Commission want to remember New York City residents know how much the Adams administration has been spending.
The budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 is on track to increase city spending by more than 6 percent compared to the current year, according to a report from the business-backed fiscal watchdog.
The increase would be even steeper if about $2.2 billion for programs the city will likely spend money on but that haven’t been included in the plan were factored into the equation.
The growth is part of a broader trend. Between 2020 and this summer, city spending is projected to increase 26 percent, outpacing inflation by more than 43 percent.
And even if migrant spending were excluded, spending growth would still be more than 21 percent over the same period, about $15 billion, the report found. —Shawn Ness
ELECTORAL PARTICIPATION PROBLEMS: Less than 13 percent of registered voters in New York City participated in the election, according to a new report of the New York City Campaign Finance Board.
To increase participation, the report recommends two policies: one that would hold local elections in even years and another that would create a civic engagement scholarship program to expand voter outreach programs.
New York has a law that will move most local elections to even numbers of years to correlate with state and federal elections, but it does not apply to New York City and faces legal challenges.
The goal, Democrats say, is to increase voter turnout, but Republicans contend it’s a way for the party’s Democrats to further hurt the GOP in a state with twice as many Democrats as Republicans.
“New York City’s democracy is only as strong as the proportion of the city that participates. Even with 82 percent of eligible New Yorkers registered to vote, we have a long way to go until voting and full civic participation are accessible to all New Yorkers,” Paul Ryan, the board’s executive director, said in a statement. .
In the two most recent elections held in the city, only seven percent of voters participated in the primaries and 12.8 percent in the general elections, even though 81 percent of eligible voters were registered, he said the group. —Shawn Ness
JAMES SUES THE NCAA: The State Attorney General’s Office joins efforts with a multi-state coalition to sue the NCAA for policies that prevent student-athletes from making money and profiting from their “name, image and likelihood.”
Attorney General Tish James said the policy prevents student-athletes from considering compensation offers before enrolling in a school, preventing them from fully understanding their options before deciding where to go to college. Other states named in the lawsuit include Tennessee, Florida, the District of Columbia and Virginia.
“New York’s student-athletes are some of the best in the country and should be able to make decisions about their athletic careers without restrictions,” Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement.
“The NCAA’s NIL rule limits the potential of college athletes and restricts intercollegiate competition; That’s not fair play. “Student-athletes should be able to make career decisions fairly and equitably.” — Katelyn Cordero
In the election campaign
HOCHUL FUNDRAISER FOR LASHER: Hochul will attend a swanky fundraiser tonight for Upper West Side Assembly candidate Micah Lasher. The event is being hosted by Dan Doctoroff, former deputy mayor to Michael Bloomberg and former CEO of Bloomberg LP.
Lasher was previously Hochul’s top political adviser and worked for Bloomberg early in his career. He faces a four-candidate primary, with public defender Eli Northrup, the Working Families Party candidate, likely his most formidable rival.
The District 69 seat, which includes embattled Columbia University, is currently held by Assemblyman Danny O’Donnell. He is retiring after representing the area for 20 years. While other big names like Rep. Jerry Nadler, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and former New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer have endorsed Lasher, O’Donnell has yet to announce his support for no candidate in the race.
While O’Donnell has avoided commenting on the Columbia protests, Lasher commented on the riots in a statement to Playbook.
“The situation has been heartbreaking in many ways,” he said. “Right now I just hope the Columbia community can find a way forward.”
Earlier today, Northrup called The deployment of the NYPD on Tuesday night was a “totally disproportionate response.”
Tickets to attend at 6:30 pm fundraising They range between $1,000 and $3,000.
“I couldn’t be more honored to have two of my former bosses, Dan Doctoroff and Governor Hochul, along with Alisa Doctoroff, coming together to give our campaign a boost as we enter the home stretch,” Lasher said in a statement. separated.
Northrup criticized Lasher for the fundraising.
“My opponent is clearly ideologically aligned with our governor and will continue to be influenced by big money and special interests, rather than accountable to our community,” Northrup said. “We need elected officials who work with and for the people, not career politicians disconnected from the problems we face.” — Jason Beeferman
— Protesters gathered outside NYPD headquarters. after nearly 300 protesters were arrested at Columbia University and CUNY College on Tuesday night. (State of politics)
— The Research Department The investigation of an Adams adviser is now expanding to include his role with NYPD personnel and promotional matters. (Daily News)
— Students at SUNY Stony Brook Camp They were warned that they might have to move elsewhere. (news day)
