NYC Mayor Eric Adams shunned by CUNY Law graduates during commencement speech
Eden Villalovas
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams faced opposition from City University of New York (CUNY) Law School graduates as he delivered his commencement address Friday.
The public shunning came a day after dozens of students, officials, professors, and other CUNY personnel protested the Democratic mayor’s budget decreases to CUNY’s school system on Thursday.
In fiscal 2023, reductions to CUNY’s budget by the City of New York totaled $155 million, according to the comptroller’s office. Two hundred and thirty-five faculty and staff positions were lost due to the budget cuts. The fiscal 2024 budget cut $41.3 million annually for 2024-2026.
Adams’s speech included an anecdote about his time as a New York police officer. He served 22 years on the force, and his story was met with a mix of applause and heckling from the crowd.
“I know what it takes to hold this city together,” Adams said after noise from the graduates erupted.
“No, you don’t,” a person in the crowd yelled out, videos circulating on Twitter show.
“And just as you see these graduates here, I know what it is to protest,” Adams said, acknowledging the students who protested. The comment only led to more outcry.
“I protested when Amadou Diallo, I protested with Zango, I protested as 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care,” Adams said.
“I protested to stand up for things that are right. But I’m not the mayor because I know how to protest. I’m the mayor because I know how to speak on behalf of the countless number of people in this city.”
Adams’s remarks paralleled his statement at Pace University last year, where graduates demanded his removal from the commencement ceremony and published a petition highlighting his policies that students felt did not represent their university or values.
“I know protests,” Adams said at the ceremony in Queens in March 2022. “But I’m not getting a degree today because I know how to protest. Let me tell you why I’m getting a degree: because after protests, you must do something to protect. You cannot simply protest. You have to protect.”
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Adams concluded his speech by congratulating the students and commenting on the booing from the protesters.
“Use your power and skill, not to yell, but to quell the burning desire that we have,” Adams said.