State Budget Approved + Adams Confidant Sued Again
No. 371 | Monday, April 22, 2024
The NYC Thorn is a weekly roundup of local political news compiled by members of NYC-DSA.
Local News
The New York State legislature approved the state’s annual budget nearly three weeks after the deadline. The Socialists in Office and NYC-DSA denounced the budget’s failure to protect tenants against rent hikes and evictions.
Columbia University students have staged numerous pro-Palestine protests on campus this week, largely in response to Columbia’s decision to bring in the New York Police Department to arrest over 100 students for occupying a campus lawn.
Despite the arrests, Columbia students are continuing their sit-in, putting pressure on the university to “divest all economic and academic stakes in Israel,” inspiring students at other universities to do the same.
Mayor Eric Adams aims to appoint Randy Mastro, a former Giuliani deputy mayor and the chief litigator in New Jersey’s attempt to kill congestion pricing, as the city’s top lawyer. Mastro's rumored nomination inspired immediate backlash in the City Council.
For the second time in a month, Mayor Adams's friend Timothy Pearson was sued for retaliating against a NYPD sergeant who, along with colleagues, had accused Perason of sexual harassment. According to the lawsuit, Pearson so commonly put his hands on women’s bodies that he was secretly placed under watch to prevent him from being alone with female colleagues.
Jacobin compiled ten of Mayor Adams's biggest scandals and harmful policies since he took office in 2022.
In response to political pressure from NYC parents and the City Council, Mayor Adams has restored $500 million in education funding, including the city’s 3-K programs.
Tiffany Caban (District 22, Astoria), Alexa Aviles (District 38, Sunset Park), and 13 other female City Council members urged Mayor Adams to abandon his plan to triple City jails’ capacity for incarcerating women. Their letter comes after an analysis revealed that over 700 women had reported being sexually assaulted on Rikers Island.
The NYC Local
Our chapter's labor newsletter, The Local, arrives every other week with a focus on labor organizing, bargaining, and local legislation that impacts NYC's workers. Give them a follow here.
Revolutions Per Minute
Listen to NYC-DSA's weekly radio show Revolutions Per Minute. Check out the show here.
