Law school grad turns against NYC mayor in commencement address
(The Hill) – Law students graduating from the City University of New York (CUNY) turned their backs on New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, in protest at his commencement address on Friday.
posted video social media showed Many of the graduates stood silently, facing the back of the room, as Adams spoke. The mayor was also booed and yelled at.
“We have a lot of challenges, a lot of things that need discipline, and like the alumni here, I know what it’s like to protest,” he says. , and then some yelled back at him.
Adams took several steps last week over his response to the death of Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old mentally disturbed homeless man who was murdered in a subway station earlier this month by Marine veteran Daniel Penney. faced controversy.
Penny strangles Neely, rendering him unconscious. Neely was later pronounced dead in hospital and an autopsy ruled his death to be a homicide.
Penny was charged with second-degree manslaughter this week. Neely’s lawyers say he killed him in self-defense, but Neely’s family lawyers say he didn’t harm anyone.
Neely is black, but Penny is white.
Adams was criticized because his initial comments on the subject did not condemn Penny’s actions, but in some cases emphasized the right of subway passengers to act. He later called the incident “a tragedy that never should have happened” and vowed to take action to support mental health.
new york daily news reported a protest The commencement protest against Adams came the day after some of the university’s students and professors rallied against Adams’ proposed budget cuts. Auditor Brad Lander estimated that the cuts would result in the loss of 235 faculty jobs at State University of New York.
Adams also received applause at several points in his speech, including when he said, “I am mayor because I know how to speak for the millions of people in this city.” .
Adams’ spokesman Fabian Levy told The Hill in a statement that he respects the right of demonstrators to protest peacefully, as he has done “countless times” in his career. announced.
“As the mayor always says, the city may have 8.8 million people, but there are 35 million opinions,” Levy wrote. “We thank our graduates for their willingness to go into the field of law and serve their communities, whether by helping those in need, developing public policies and laws, or holding public office for themselves.”
“The mayor is looking forward to seeing how these graduates contribute to our city in the future,” he added.
https://www.mystateline.com/news/law-school-graduates-turn-their-backs-on-nyc-mayor-during-commencement-address/ Law school grad turns against NYC mayor in commencement address