Designated 'smoking room': Inside protesters' maps, plans

Plus: The Brooklyn kitchen training migrants for the food industry [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.]( ['Lock all windows.' A designated 'smoking room': Inside Columbia protesters' maps and plans]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay]( Weather: ☔ Rainy, highs in the mid 50s. It's Friday in New York City, where [photos shared exclusively with Gothamist]( reveal protesters' extensive planning for last week's brief takeover of Columbia University's Hamilton Hall. Henry Clemente, a head custodian at Columbia who found the maps, suggested that "smart kids" — not outside agitators — were behind this, but said the NYPD operation to clear them out was still necessary. "It could have been anyone in there, you know," he said. "It's not about putting students down or even suppressing voices. It's more about the safety of everyone on campus." Here's what else is happening: - Nearly all New York City public park bathrooms [now have baby changing tables](. - The NYPD said yesterday it has spent [$53 million on overtime pay]( to [respond to thousands of protests]( across New York City since the Hamas attacks against Israel on Oct. 7. - New York's new law that allows any voter to request an early mail-in ballot for any reason will remain on the books — at least for now — after a mid-level appeals court [rejected a challenge brought by Republicans](. - Mayor Eric Adams' administration isn't fulfilling its promise to provide work certification classes, legal help and other services to [migrant families who've been evicted from shelters after 60 days]( according to a new audit by the city comptroller. - A cruise ship docked in Brooklyn over the weekend with a gruesome passenger pinned to its bow: a dead, [50,000-pound endangered sei whale](. - Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo picked up a big win in his [quest to keep the proceeds from his $5.1 million COVID-era book contract]( dealing a major blow to New York’s new ethics board in the process. - A class-action lawsuit filed yesterday [accuses New York City of discriminating]( against same-sex male couples who want to use in vitro fertilization to conceive children. - At least 540 Jewish students at Columbia University have [signed a letter supporting Zionism]( and accusing Jewish students who've joined pro-Palestinian protests of "tokenizing themselves." - The 57-year-old cousin of a prominent rabbi has been arrested for [plowing his car into pro-Palestinian protesters]( on the Upper East Side earlier this week. - A Harlem resident who was out walking his dog during recent protests at City College said he got caught up in a police crackdown on the sidewalk and the cops forced him to hand over his dog while they arrested him. ([The protesters eventually helped him get his dog back]( - In other canine news, Miles the mutt, a rescue dog-turned-agility specialist, [is the People's Champ]( heading into the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. - The city's transportation department said it plans to use some of the revenue from congestion pricing to [improve the Flatbush Avenue Bus Priority lane](. - The landmarked Bronx General Post Office [could be yours for $70 million](. - Check out these cute little DOT electric cargo trucks that [can ride in bike lanes](. - It's corporate crop top [season](. - Pouring stuff into a cup [without spilling]( easier said than done! - 👟 Do you run in New York City — and have advice for those looking to start? [We want to hear from you]( [“These are smart kids. A lot of kids come from different backgrounds, where one might be into engineering and one might be political… And they all got together and did this.”]( - Henry Clemente, a head custodian at Columbia, on [THE PROTESTERS' PLANS TO OCCUPY A CAMPUS BUILDING]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [Inside a Brooklyn kitchen that trains migrants for restaurant jobs, lifting an industry]( A five-week course called Culinary Career Pathways for New New Yorkers was designed specifically for Latin American migrants who have secured work permits and set their sights on careers in the food industry. [A new opera explores the death of a young soldier from Manhattan's Chinatown]( The New York premiere of the opera "An American Soldier," based on the story of Pvt. Danny Chen, opens at the Perelman Performing Arts Center on Sunday. [We Rely On Your Support]( [This NYC artist will help you with anything (except sex) for free]( For the past month, Bianca Giaever, an artist and filmmaker, has been roaming New York City, wearing a firetruck red jumpsuit and an enormous sandwich board that reads “FREE HELP.” People are taking her up on the offer. [Why it takes NYC nearly 10 years to install 500 feet of pipes]( A long-delayed project to build new water pipes and sewers on the Upper East Side highlights long-standing issues with public works in New York City. [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.