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Dear New Yorkers,

New Yorkers with criminal records face an uphill battle in lots of things, from landing a new job to renting a new apartment.

But what’s in that record, exactly? Where can you find yours? And how could it (perhaps) be sealed?

It’s sometimes hard to know, and harder to navigate finding work or housing with a rap sheet, legal experts say. Still, with various methods on the books for sealing or expunging some types of charges — plus a new law (the Clean Slate Act goes into effect this fall) — New Yorkers with criminal records have options for clearing their histories.

“In New York, once you get arrested and go to court, that record is never completely gone for all purposes,” said Emma Goodman of the Case Closed Project at the Legal Aid Society. But with sealing, “it should be gone for almost all purposes.”

THE CITY spoke with legal records experts to answer the questions you may have about criminal records — and how to handle them. Read our guide here.

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Wednesday's Weather Rating: 8/10. A very nice day for the most part, with high temperatures in the upper 70s and partly cloudy skies. A few scattered showers and storms are expected later today. Still, the vibes are pretty good out there today!

Our Other Top Story

Mayor Eric Adams said on Tuesday that the city’s Department of Investigation is reviewing findings by THE CITY, Guardian US and Documented that his son and a senior mayoral aide stayed in taxpayer-funded rooms at a Queens hotel owned by a major mayoral campaign donor. The hotel was serving as a city-funded shelter for formerly incarcerated individuals at the time that Winnie Greco, the mayor’s director of Asian Affairs, lived there in a two-room suite at a $50,000 cost to taxpayers. The joint newsroom investigative report also found that the mayor’s son, Jordan Coleman, stayed at least once at the same hotel, which is owned by Weihong Hu and her husband, Xiaozhuang Ge. Declining to answer reporters’ questions about their stays, Adams said, “DOI is looking into, they’re doing a review of all of those things that you’re talking about. And I’m going to let them do their job.”

Reporter’s Notebook

One Strike Against Mets Casino

State Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Queens) announced Tuesday she wouldn’t support permitting the use of space designated public park land around Citi Field for non-park purposes, dealing a strike against the Mets organization’s dreams to build a casino there.

The Metropolitan Park proposal for the parking lots around the stadium included a live-music venue, food hall, hotel and 25 acres of park. Most importantly, the proposal, from Mets owner Steve Cohen, includes a casino that would be developed with Hard Rock International. But in order to make that happen, Ramos as a local representative would have needed to introduce a “park alienation” bill to match one introduced in the Assembly last year.

While her constituents expressed desires for more economic opportunity and green space, Ramos didn’t want to “accept a casino in our backyard as the trade-off.”

“I resent the conditions and the generations of neglect that have made many of us so desperate that we would be willing to settle,” she said.

Ramos said she had drafted another bill that would include a convention center, hotel and double the green space — but without a casino. Metropolitan Park has said in the past it will not build without one.

"While we respect Senator Ramos’ point of view, the state never intended any one person to have the ability to single-handedly stop or approve a gaming project,” said Karl Rickett, a spokesperson for Metropolitan Park.

“We have over a year and multiple pathways to secure the required approvals,” he added.

Borough President Donovan Richards, a supporter of the casino, urged Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Senate “to explore other avenues in order to bring the Metropolitan Park proposal to life.”

— Katie Honan

Things To Do

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

Friday, May 31: The 10th anniversary of Teens Take The Met!, featuring teen-only artmaking activities, music and more. Free (middle school or high school ID required) from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Met Fifth Avenue. Saturday, June 1: Reishi Mushrooms: From Paper to Medicine, a two-part workshop using reishi to make paper and tinctures. Free (registration required) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens. Sunday, June 2: Drums Along the Hudson, a multicultural drumming celebration featuring dancers, food, arts and crafts, and more. Free from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Inwood Hill Park in Manhattan.

THE KICKER: The partial remains of Flaco — NYC’s beloved, late celebrity owl — will be kept at the American Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side.

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

Love,

THE CITY

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