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Dear New Yorkers,

In town hall meetings with students, faculty and staff last week, City College President Vincent Boudreau attempted to quell anger and frustration about his decision to deploy the NYPD to break up a pro-Palestinian encampment on April 30.

The encampment began on April 25, with CUNY students, faculty and alumni camping out and calling for the public university system to divest from Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Campus police proved “inadequate,” in Boudreau’s telling

Boudreau, a political scientist specializing in the politics of social movements, was arrested himself at least five times while pushing for the university to divest from South Africa as a grad student at Cornell University in the 1980’s.

But last week, he told faculty members Tuesday that he stood by the move to clear the encampment — adding that he wished he’d done so sooner.

“Allowing the site to harden. That’s my one regret,” he said. “If what you're implying is that we have to allow demonstrators free run of the campus…I reject that.”

Read more about Boudreau’s remarks and the CUNY protests here.

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Monday's Weather Rating: 9/10. WE ARE SO BACK. Our weekend system clears with high temperatures in the upper 60s, partly cloudy skies and a nice breeze. Increasing clouds later today are the only thing we're keeping an eye on. Still, the vibes are VERY good!

Our Other Top Stories

New York City has agreed to pay $1.6 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a former Rikers Island detainee who was sexually abused by a physical therapist inside a jail clinic. The settlement is among the largest pretrial payouts ever awarded to a single plaintiff in a sexual assault case at Rikers. The complaint followed other allegations against the physical therapist, which were ignored by Correction Department investigators. “At first they didn’t want to believe me,” the former detainee told THE CITY last week. “If I didn’t have that DNA evidence, I’m 100% sure he’d still be working at Rikers.” Under a new state mandate to reduce NYC classroom sizes, Department of Education (DOE) officials have floated the idea of letting principals use virtual learning to free up space, reports Chalkbeat. Many schools and families struggled with virtual learning amid the chaos of citywide shutdowns during the pandemic. But city and union officials are betting that more targeted applications might be effective. Still, the DOE’s plan would not force principals to choose any specific method for achieving the new caps, and suggests 11 other possible ways principals could free up space, like repurposing rooms not currently used for instruction. Co-op apartment owners from across the city traveled to Albany last week to plead their case for bills that would shield them from rent increases on the land their buildings sit on. Two Manhattan Assembly members are sponsoring bills that would offer such homeowners protections even stricter than those recently passed for tenants. While shareholders across the five boroughs might worry that rents on land leases could make remaining in their homes unaffordable, it’s Manhattan co-op owners — mired in a big-money legal battle with their landowners — who are bankrolling this campaign, state records show.

Reporter’s Notebook

Cannabis Chief Out

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Friday that Chris Alexander will step down as head of the Office of Cannabis Management at the end of his term in September.

The news was announced at a press conference releasing a report that examined operational issues at the cannabis agency after a 30-day review led by Office of General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy. The report highlighted a lack of leadership experience at the agency, as well as operational challenges, including inconsistent guidelines and a failure to centralize licensing operations. Gov. Hochul said she will direct an overhaul of the Office of Cannabis Management, taking measures such as revamping the licensing process and improving agency communications.

Alexander’s departure was announced as he was still presiding over a lengthy and tense Cannabis Control Board meeting where one of board members continued to raise points questioning how much criticism of the cannabis agency was warranted by state officials.

— Rosalind Adams

Things To Do

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

Saturday, May 18: Family Farm Volunteer Day, featuring projects for all ages at an urban vegetable far. Free from 9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at Battery Urban Farm, Manhattan. Saturday, May 18: LIC Springs!, a community festival with music, art, performances and more. Free from 12 to 5 p.m., various blocks in Long Island City, Queens. Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19: Aloha Days Family Festival, a celebration with music and hula performances to celebrate Hawai’i. Free from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Museum of the American Indian.

THE KICKER: Paul McCartney got on online recently and answered a fan video from 1964 — inviting “Adrienne from Brooklyn” to his ongoing Brooklyn Museum photography exhibit. Though the fan has passed away, reports Brooklyn Paper, her family recognized her in the video and plans to attend the exhibit.

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

Love,

THE CITY

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