During graduation week in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams was greeted by graduating law students at the City University of New York (CUNY) with their backs turned, a protest signaling that the mayor has failed them.
On May 12, Adams attended the commencement ceremony and spoke to the graduating law students. The students, for the most part, showed their dissatisfaction with the Democratic mayor by booing and shouting, some standing silently while others symbolically turned their backs.
RIGHT NOW. At the CUNY Law school graduation. Graduates turn their backs on NYC Mayor Eric Adams. A protest against his terror against Black & brown communities, public education, libraries, migrants, health & safety. His support for state violence. Wow. pic.twitter.com/hC9npXJwnh
— Scott Hechinger 🆓 (@ScottHech) May 12, 2023
“As the mayor always says, this city may have 8.8 million people, but it also has 35 million opinions,” Fabien Levy, the press secretary for Adams, told The Hill. “We thank these graduates for going into the field of law and their willingness to serve their communities — helping those who are disadvantaged, crafting public policy and legislation, or serving in public office themselves.”
“The mayor looks forward to seeing how these graduates serve our city in the future,” he added.
One social media post suggested that the law students were frustrated with how Adams has handled the city’s migrant crisis.
Adams has been critical of the Biden administration’s handling of the migrant crisis at the southern border. He has said that the city is “overwhelmed” by the number of migrants arriving in New York and that the federal government is not doing enough to help.
Adams has called on the Biden administration to provide more resources to help New York City deal with the migrant crisis. He has also said that the federal government should do more to address the root causes of migration, such as poverty and violence in Central America.
The Biden administration has said that it is working to address the migrant crisis and that it is providing resources to help cities like New York City. However, the administration has also said that it is committed to upholding the law and that it will not allow migrants to enter the country illegally.
A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that Mayor Eric Adams’ approval rating has dropped to 37 percent.
In February 2023, about 66 percent of New Yorkers think crime is a problem, which is actually down from what the same poll found a year ago, 74 percent, but both percentages are considered the highest levels since the university began asking the question in 1999.
Voters, 26 percent, think it is somewhat of a problem, with the rest of voters, 6 percent, thinking crime is not a very serious problem and 1 percent thinking it is not a problem at all.
Some may believe that Adam was booed for his lackluster response to Jordan Neely’s murder of Daniel Penny.
Adams’ proposed budget cuts, some of which would affect CUNY’s 235 faculty and staff positions, were met with backlash the day before graduation, The New York Daily News reported.
When it comes to safety, 53 percent say they feel about the same, but 39 percent say they feel less safe in New York City, nearly 4 in 10 voters. Only 8 percent say they feel safer in New York City.
Crime represents 41 percent of all the pressing issues New Yorkers are concerned about under Adams, but this is followed by affordable housing at 17 percent and homelessness at 12 percent.
The Siena College poll found that Adams received a 29 percent approval rating for his job performance.
The results of the poll suggest that Adams faces a number of challenges in his first year in office. He will have to work to improve his approval ratings if he wants to be successful in the long run.
