WORLD WORLDWIDE US USA - New York NY - New York City NYC - the city THE CITY - Online news journal UPDATE - Alleged NYPD smear campaign, toxic migrant shelter, eclipse

 

Dear New Yorkers,

Dana Rachlin, a prominent police reform advocate, once collaborated so closely with local precincts in North Brooklyn that she often worked out of the office of NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey — who oversaw the patrol area at the time.

The nonprofit she founded, NYC Together, was deeply involved in community-based policing efforts that were a priority under former Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Rachlin grew to trust Maddrey so much that, when she said she was raped in October 2017, he was one of the first people she called. And Maddrey urged her to file a police report, despite her reservations at the time, she told THE CITY.

Now Rachlin, 38, alleges in a federal lawsuit filed Monday that police officials weaponized confidential details of that assault to retaliate against her for her vocal criticism of violent policing practices by cutting off her access to the North Brooklyn precincts her nonprofit serves — and telling precinct leaders not to work with her.

Soon afterward, the lawsuit claims, confidential information about her alleged sexual assault was circulated to community advocates, mixed in with misinformation about the investigation and the notion that she fabricated the attack and falsely accused a Black man of rape. Those same claims later surfaced in two anonymous letters sent to police officials, politicians and others, the lawsuit alleges.

It’s not clear from the lawsuit who wrote or circulated the letters, which were reviewed by THE CITY. But both contained details about her reported sexual assault that just a few people within the NYPD should have had access to: Maddrey assured Rachlin that her information would be kept confidential and that her name would be excluded from the police report, the lawsuit alleges.

Just a handful of NYPD personnel knew about her report, including Maddrey and two Special Victims Unit detectives, according to the court papers.

Read more about Rachlin’s allegations here.

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Tuesday's Weather Rating: 9/10. OK! Partly cloudy and warm with high temperatures reaching the lower 70s. A light breeze picks up during the afternoon, too. Some high clouds move in later tonight. Still, the vibes are VERY good out there today!

Our Other Top Stories

The city’s homeless services agency has begun housing migrant men in a newly opened 400-bed shelter near Brooklyn’s polluted Gowanus Canal — before state environmental officials had a chance to begin their planned testing of the site for potential toxic contamination. THE CITY visited the shelter yesterday and reviewed daily sign-in sheets for residents dating back at least to Saturday. The shelter is in a former manufacturing building that sits alongside the notoriously fetid canal, which was designated as a federal Superfund site in 2010. It’s also right next to one of the most contaminated sites in the entire city: a vacant lot still poisoned by toxins lurking in the soil beneath what had been a gas manufacturing plant.  It takes a lot to make New Yorkers put down their phones, contemplate the universe and talk to one another. The moon blotting out the sun did the trick. (Last week’s earthquake, too.) During yesterday’s rare eclipse, people across the five boroughs headed to beaches, rooftops, parks, and sidewalks to share in the spectacle. THE CITY was there. On the latest episode of the FAQ NYC podcast, the hosts discuss a week where the earth shook, the sun hid and everything else in New York City kept on ticking — plus, how Mayor Eric Adams is positioning himself for his reelection campaign next year. Listen here.

Reporter’s Notebook

City Hires Private Attorney To Help Defend Adams in Sexual Assault Claim

City Hall has retained outside counsel to help represent Mayor Eric Adams in a sexual assault allegation filed in civil court last month.

Alex Spiro of Quinn Emanuel will be co-counsel alongside Sylvia Hinds-Radix, the city’s corporation counsel, according to a new court filing.

Hinds-Radix initially defended the use of the city’s lawyers in representing the mayor, saying the alleged incident happened when Adams was an officer in the NYPD’s transit bureau and that he wasn’t getting any special treatment.

A former colleague accused Adams of sexual assault after he offered to help her with a workplace issue, according to the lawsuit filed under the Adult Survivors Act.

“The corporation counsel's office employs some 750 attorneys to represent the city and city workers under this circumstance, so that's how that is done,” she said at a March 19 press conference.

Law department spokesperson Nick Paolucci said they hired Spiro – who has also represented Elon Musk and Alec Baldwin–  to “maximize the existing resources” on other city issues.

“In certain cases, the Law Department retains outside firms to provide assistance during litigation,” he said in a statement. Spiro will be paid by city tax dollars, according to a law department spokesperson. A law department official said the rate is $250 an hour for partners, $175 an hour for associates.

Spiro did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

— Katie Honan

Things To Do

Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.

Wednesday, April 10 and Friday, April 12: Spring First Discoveries, with special activities for nature-lovers age 4 and under. Free with admission on Wednesdays and Fridays through June 14, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Saturday, April 13: The 2024 New York Restoration Project Tree Giveaway. Free trees will be available at various times and locations across the five boroughs. Registration required. Monday, April 15: Written Work: Poetry, Labor, and the Global City, the kickoff event of the New York Public Library’s World Literature Festival — a book party “unpacking the pleasures and pain of working in the city.” Free from 6:30 p.m. online and in-person at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library.

THE KICKER: Here’s how to donate or recycle your solar eclipse glasses. (Or just keep them for whenever you feel like staring at the sun.)

Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Tuesday.

Love,

THE CITY

PS. Love THE CITY? Our nonprofit newsroom runs on support from readers like you. Donate here.

Want to view Scoop in your web browser? Click here.

THE CITY's work is made possible, in part, through the support of our sponsors. Interested in becoming a sponsor of THE CITY? Contact us here.  Copyright © 2024 THE CITY, All rights reserved.