NYPD arrests Columbia protesters, clears occupied campus building

Plus: A chance to score a date with NYC firemen [View this email in a browser.]( Gothamist relies on your support to make local news available to all. Not yet a member? [Consider donating and join today.]( [NYPD arrests Columbia protesters, clears occupied campus building and encampment]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay]( Weather: ⛅ Mix of sun and clouds, highs in the mid 70s. It's Wednesday in New York City, where NYPD officers in riot gear arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University last night after clearing an occupied campus building and tent encampment. Police said 70 protesters were also arrested last night at City College of New York in Harlem. [Here's what we know now about the demonstrations and the NYPD's response](. And here's what else is happening: - The New York City board that governs rent increases for rent-stabilized apartments is considering [approving increases of up to 4.5% for new one-year leases]( and 6.5% for two-year leases. - A new CUNY study found that app-based food delivery workers in New York City [face high rates of injury and assault]( which researchers partly attributed to the way app algorithms incentivize workers to rush on the job. - Gov. Kathy Hochul said this week that she expects "every college and university in New York will celebrate commencement safely in person," [despite current protests on campus](. - More than 150 people who were locked up in New York City juvenile jails from the 1970s through last year are suing the city, [alleging that they were sexually abused by staff](. - The MTA has inked a $141 million contract to install cameras on thousands of buses that [automatically ticket drivers illegally parked along their routes](. - City lawyers are asking a judge to either extend the current two-month Rikers Island jail sentence for Daniel Ohebshalom, a notorious Manhattan landlord, or pursue a unique alternative: force him to [live in one of his own crumbling apartment buildings]( on house arrest. - Police said officers [shot and killed a 25-year-old man]( in a Chelsea eyeglass store yesterday after the victim reached for a gun. - There have been [18 reported robberies]( in Central Park so far this year, up from four during the same period last year, according to the NYPD. - Auto industry experts and electric vehicle drivers in New Jersey say [the state needs to add far more charging infrastructure]( to help prospective EV owners get over "range anxiety." - Democratic State Senator Timothy Kennedy won yesterday's special election to represent the Buffalo area's congressional district, effectively [shrinking Republicans' majority in the House of Representatives]( to one vote. - The NYPD set a date for the disciplinary trial of Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey — the police department's highest ranking uniformed officer — who's [accused of abusing his authority]( by ordering the voiding of an arrest of a retired cop who allegedly brandished a gun at three teenagers. - Audrey Silk, a 60-year-old retired NYPD officer who now illegally grows tobacco at her Marine Park home, [explained to the New York Post that she refuses to buy cigarettes]( because "I will not give them my tax money ... they are using that money against me. They are using it to fund their anti-smoking ads." - Model-boat sailing in Central Park is back — and [pretty challenging](. - Donald Trump appears to [keep falling asleep]( in the courtroom. - "New York Trilogy" author Paul Auster [has died at the age of 77](. - Someone [keeps stealing]( rare Pushkin books. - Have some time for a game? [Play]( our mini local news crossword. - Sign up for reminders when we publish new games [here](. [“I’m still going to go to a bar and celebrate with my family afterwards.”]( - Jonathan Pabon, a Columbia University doctoral student, on the [UNCERTAINTY AROUND HAVING A GRADUATION CEREMONY]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [A night at ‘Rescue Me,’ where women hope to date NYC firemen]( Single first responders are the beaus of the ball at “Rescue Me,” one of the most popular and longest-running mixers from the events company Single and the City. [WNYC will cohost New Jersey Senate Democratic primary debate on May 13]( Candidates Patricia Campos-Medina, Larry Hamm and Rep. Andy Kim will be questioned by moderator Michael Hill on critical issues facing the state. The event begins at 6 p.m., with video livestreamed at wnyc.org. [We Rely On Your Support]( [NYC to hand out subway fliers to deter migrant children from selling candy]( The handout, which state that unlicensed selling is illegal and can result in fines, also provides contact information about access to school, child care and the rights of workers and immigrants. [In Greenpoint, a wacky new birding group is ruffling some feathers]( “Birding is punk,” said McGolrick Bird Club leader Michael Lombardo. “It requires patience and awareness and it’s very real. Those [values] are very much counterculture. Being outside and in the real world is so sick and beautiful to me.” [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [New York Public Radio] [WNYC]( | [WQXR]( | [NJPR]( | [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( | [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 [TERMS OF USE]( You can update your [PREFERENCES]( or [UNSUBSCRIBE]( from this list.