🌱 NYPD Commish Drops 100s Of Disciplinary Recs + St. Patrick's Day

Good morning, New York City! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

• The NYPD Commissioner has allowed hundreds of officers to dodge discipline despite recommendations from a review board, according to reports.
• NYC transit workers want the right to strike.
• The St. Patrick's Day Parade is coming soon!

But first, today's weather:

Mainly cloudy. High: 58 Low: 40.

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Here are the top five stories in New York City today:

1. NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewall allowed over 400 police officers to dodge discipline in 2022, despite recommendations from the Civilian Complaint Review Board that they receive it, The Legal Aid Society announced on Thursday. Sewall had previously said the amount was just 70. (New York City Patch)
2. In other police news, the NYC Department of Investigation’s unit tasked with keeping an eye on the NYPD hasn't had a permanent inspector general in over a year, concerning government and police watchdogs. (THE CITY)
3. Governor Kathy Hochul wants to hear directly from New York City teenagers about their mental health needs. She held a first session of her "listening tour" on Thursday, but said she'd hold off on more until she's passed the state budget, which is due on April 1. She also has a plan to reform the state's psychiatric system. (Gothamist)
4. A few days after a Flushing, Queens Councilwoman held a press conference calling for a crackdown on street vending in her district, about 40 street vendors held their own protest outside her office, calling her remarks "very insulting and misinformed." (THE CITY)
5. New York City subway and bus workers aren't allowed to strike under state law. The Transport Workers Union, which represents many MTA workers, is now supporting a State Senate bill that would change that, while the union's contract with the transit agency expires in May. (New York Daily News)

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Today in New York City:

• St. Patrick's Day Parade - 5th Avenue (1 p.m.)
• Exhibition Opening: Esther Boesche - Some Thing Like Summer - LIC Art Show (6:30 p.m.)
• Krasno Moore Project ft. Eric Finland (8 p.m.)
• Live Music Fridays Presents: Cat Nip (8:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• New York City high school students will soon be getting municipal IDs that give them access to museums and other cultural institutions. They'll also get discounted ferry rides, based on two recently passed City Council bills. (Gothamist)
• Apart from the Manhattan parade taking place today, Bayside, Queens is holding its own St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday, March 25th. (Bayside-Douglaston Patch)
• Following reports that construction might not finish on a Brooklyn jail before the city-mandated 2027 deadline to close Rikers Island, politicians rallied on Thursday to reiterate what they see as the urgency of closing the jail facility. (AMNY)
• The famous Astor Place Cube in Lower Manhattan, which has been stationary for the past year, may swing once more by July. (THE CITY)

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