With help from Shawn Ness
New from New York
Happening now:
- Mayor Eric Adams spoke about why it was time to end 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 getting bigger and bigger.
- Why Attorney General Tish James and her colleagues are suing the NCAA.
DEMS DEFEND CAMPUS REPRESSION: Police were not only arresting pro-Palestinian protesters at Manhattan colleges on Tuesday night, but also protecting “children” from “outside agitators,” Mayor Eric Adams said, defending the NYPD in a series of media appearances this week. morning.
“This is a global problem, that young people are being influenced by those who are professionals in radicalizing our children,” Adams said at a press conference with police on Wednesday morning. “And I will not let that happen as mayor of New York City.”
Adams refused to explain who the agitators were. And while it is not in dispute that some of the people protesting on campuses were not students, the key evidence presented today by the NYPD – that protesters who took over a building used thick bike locks, favored by students – was widely mocked online.
The police actions were the largest mobilizations by New York City police to date in response to recent pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses. Adams emphasized that Columbia University and City College have formally requested the NYPD’s help in responding. Protesters at Columbia seized and barricaded an academic building on campus, and at City College, they set up tents and occupied the campus’s main lawn.
The NYPD said 173 people were arrested in City College and 109 were arrested in Columbia on Tuesday night.
Top Democrats, including Gov. Kathy Hochul and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, supported the high-profile police responses.
“As far as I can tell, the NYPD’s efforts were thorough, professional and exercised a degree of calm in a very tense situation that is to be commended,” Jeffries said at a press 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 media interview. “But this is what has started to happen on our campuses in recent weeks.”
But the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, Donna Lieberman, said reports of police closing off city blocks, pepper-spraying protesters and pushing them to the ground showed the response was “counterproductive and frankly dangerous”.
“While other campuses across the country have engaged protesters in productive dialogue, last night in Columbia and City College the NYPD responded with intimidation and violence. – Jeff Coltin
SENDING AN SOS: Former Assembly member Walter Mosley is Hochul’s choice to become New York’s next secretary of state, his office announced today.
“The Department of State 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 given him the skills and experience necessary to lead this Department into the future.”
The Democratic member represented Brooklyn in the Assembly from 2013 to 2021 and lost in the primary to Phara Souffrant Forrest.
If confirmed by the state Senate, Mosley will replace Robert Rodriguez in the position. Rodriguez was named last month to become president and CEO of the state Dormitory Authority.
“I am deeply honored to have been selected by Governor Hochul to serve as Secretary of State,” said Mosley. “My career has focused on finding ways to make government work for the people, and I am excited to take on this critical role in state government.” – Nick Reisman
BUDGET WATCHERS: The Citizens Budget Commission want to remember New York City residents how much the Adams administration has spent.
The budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 is on track to increase city spending by more than 6% compared with the current year, according to a report from the business-backed tax watchdog.
The increase would be even more pronounced if about $2.2 billion for programs the city would likely spend money on — but were not included in the plan — were factored into the equation.
The growth is part of a broader trend. Between 2020 and this summer, the city’s spending is expected to increase by 26%, outpacing inflation by more than 43%.
And even if migrant spending were excluded, spending growth would still increase 21% over the same period, about $15 billion, the report concluded. -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 turnout, the report recommends two policies: one that would host local elections in even-numbered years and another that would create a civic engagement grant program to expand voter outreach programs.
New York has a law in place that will move most local elections to even-numbered years to correlate with state and federal races, but it does not apply to New York City and is facing legal challenges.
The goal, Democrats say, is to increase voter turnout, but Republicans say it’s a way for Democrats in the party to further harm the Republican Party in a state with twice as many Democrats as Republicans.
“New York City’s democracy is only as strong as the portion of the city that participates. Even with 82 percent of eligible New Yorkers registered to vote, we have a long way to go before voting and full civic participation are accessible to all New Yorkers,” said Paul Ryan, the council’s executive director, in a communicated.
In the city’s two most recent elections, only seven percent of voters participated in the primary and 12.8 percent in the general election, despite 81 percent of eligible voters being registered, the group said. -Shawn Ness
JAMES SUES NCAA: The State Attorney General’s Office is joining efforts with a multistate coalition to prosecute the NCAA for policies that prevent student athletes from earning money and benefits from their “name, image and likeness.”
Attorney General Tish James said the policy prevents student-athletes from reviewing compensation offers before enrolling in a school, which prevents them from fully understanding their options before deciding where to attend college. Other states listed in the lawsuit include Tennessee, Florida, the District of Columbia and Virginia.
“New York student athletes are some of the best in the country and should be able to make decisions about their athletic careers without restriction,” Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement.
“The NCAA’s NIL rule limits the potential of college athletes and restricts competition between universities – that’s not fair game. Student-athletes must be able to direct their careers fairly and evenly.” —Katelyn Cordero
In the campaign
HOCHUL FUNDRAISING FOR LASHER: Hochul will attend a fundraiser for Upper West Side Assembly candidate Micah Lasher this evening. The case is being brought by Dan Doctoroff, former deputy mayor to Michael Bloomberg and former CEO of Bloomberg LP
Lasher was previously Hochul’s top political advisor 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 to be his most formidable opponent.
The 69th District seat, which includes embattled Columbia University, is currently held by Assemblymember 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 support for a candidate in the race.
Although O’Donnell avoided commenting on the Columbia protests, Lasher commented on the unrest in a statement to Playbook.
“The situation has been heartbreaking in so many ways,” he said. “At this point, I just hope the Columbia community can find a way forward.”
Earlier today, Northrup called the NYPD’s deployment on Tuesday night was a “grossly disproportionate response.”
Tickets to watch at 6:30 p.m. fund raising range from $1,000 to $3,000.
“I couldn’t be more honored to have two of my former bosses, Dan Doctoroff and Governor Hochul, along with Alisa Doctoroff, come together to give our campaign a boost as we enter the final stretch,” Lasher said in a separate statement.
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 being accountable to our community,” Northrup said. “We need elected officials who work with and for the people – not career politicians who are disconnected from the problems we face.” – Jason Beeferman
– Protesters gathered in front of NYPD headquarters after arresting nearly 300 protesters at Columbia University and CUNY College on Tuesday night. (State of Politics)
– The Investigations Department the investigation of an Adams adviser is now expanding to include his role in NYPD personnel and promotional matters. (Daily News)
—SUNY Stony Brook camp students were warned that they might need to move to another location. (News day)
This story originally appeared on Politico.com read the full story
