Campus Protests Against War On Gaza Continue + Assembly Member Shrestha Pushes Public Power
No. 375 | Monday, May 20, 2024
The NYC Thorn is a weekly roundup of local political news compiled by members of NYC-DSA.
Local News
Protesters marched from Herald Square to the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center, where they occupied the building for hours starting the night of May 14 in an effort to urge CUNY to divest financial holdings from Israel. Protesters renamed the university's Mina Rees Library after a Palestinian university library destroyed in Israel’s deadly bombings and secured an agreement from CUNY administrators not to press charges.
Student protesters at Columbia University are planning a “People’s Ceremony” in response to the university’s decision to cancel their commencement ceremony.
Leaked texts and chats obtained by the Washington Post reveal that, prior to the April NYPD raid on encampments, Mayor Adams had a private meeting with a group of millionaires and billionaires intent on pressuring him to repress the protests at campuses around the city.
Two representatives from Hudson Valley, Assembly Member Sarahana Shrestha and State Senator Michelle Hinchey, introduced a bill to replace the unpopular local utility company with a public power company.
State Senator Kevin Parker (D-Flatbush) is accused of shoving a disability-rights advocate at the State Capitol, which would be the latest in a long string of violent outbursts from the Senator.
The City Council and other advocates are warning that Mayor Adams’ proposed cuts to the Department of Aging could result in a “crisis” for elderly New Yorkers.
A tax break to help local news was included in last month’s budget, but critics point out that it excludes all nonprofit outlets, as well as most TV and radio broadcasters.
Election News
The Spring Street Climate Fund launched a new independent expenditure committee to target New York State representatives opposed to the NY HEAT Act, including Assembly Member Michael Benedetto (D-Bronx), who is being challenged by DSA-endorsed Jonathan Soto.
Assembly Member Harvey Epstein (D-Lower Manhattan) will run for the City Council seat in District 2 in 2025, currently occupied by term-limited Council Member Carlina Rivera.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-Westchester) criticized his AIPAC-funded primary opponent, George Latimer, for his comments on a radio show with Republican John Catsimatidis in which Latimer attributed Bowman’s 2020 victory to the George Floyd protests and Covid-19.
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