NYC NOW - Evening Roundup: Aide for Rep. Nadler Handcuffed by Homeland Security, NY to Regulate ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Companies, and Young New Yorkers Reflect on George Floyd’s Death

Episode Date: June 2, 2025

U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler is demanding a Congressional investigation into a dramatic incident last week in which a Nadler staffer was handcuffed by Department of Homeland Security police in the lawmaker's office. Plus, New York state is imposing new rules on companies like Klarna and Afterpay. And finally, young New Yorkers reflect on the police killing of George Floyd and its significance, five years after his death.

An aide for Representative Jerry Nadler was handcuffed by Homeland Security last week. But why? New York State moves to regulate buy now pay later companies. And young New Yorkers reflect on George Floyd's death five years later. From WMYC, this is NYC now. I'm Jene Pierre. Representative Jerry Nadler is demanding a congressional investigation into a dramatic incident last week, in which one of his staffers was handcuffed by Department of Homeland Security. police in the lawmaker's office. A DHS spokesperson said their officers visited Nadler's office

to ensure the safety and well-being of those present, because protesters were in the building, which also houses immigration court. But in an interview with CNN, the New York Democrat disputed the agency's version of events. Natler says DHS officers were upset that his office took in volunteers who were monitoring immigration court activities. The Nadler aide who was handcuffed was later released. There were no arrests in the incident. New York State is imposing new rules on companies like Klarna and Afterpay. WMYC's John Campbell reports it's an effort to regulate what's known as the Buy Now Pay Later industry. Each year, hundreds of millions of people choose to split their purchases into interest-free payments. Now, New York is placing new restrictions on Buy Now Pay Later

lenders, which include consumer protections similar to those required for credit cards. State Senator James Sanders is a Queens Democrat who push for the new rules. We think that there's room in New York for them, as long as they understand that in New York we have rules. Some of the companies are pushing back. A trade group known as the Financial Technology Association says the new rules show a, quote, fundamental misunderstanding of the company's services. Young New Yorkers reflect on the police killing of Georgia. and its significance five years after his death.

That's after the break. Five years ago, the streets of New York City that had been emptied in the early days of COVID were suddenly filled up again with nightly demonstrations, marches, and protests. Outrage over police in Minneapolis killing George Floyd brought many New Yorkers out into the streets, while others found ways to engage in activism from home. For many kids and teens, Floyd's death marked a turning point in their childhoods. WMYC's Samantha Max spoke with several young New Yorkers who were either kids or teens when George Floyd was murdered. The people I talked to grew up in different neighborhoods in New York City from Jamaica to bedstigh to east New York.

They also all happened to be black and felt personally affected by the Black Lives Matter movement. I spoke with Renair Harris. He was 16 at the time and is now embarked. on his own career in journalism, and he says that decision was fueled in part by the coverage of the protests, which he felt focused too much on the destruction and not enough on the underlying causes of the demonstrations. I also talked to Mariah Morgan. She told me she's reflected back on the shortcomings of the 2020 protest movement as she's studied other political movements in the year since.

Jason Bostic, another person I talked to, he grew up in public housing and had negative experiences with police when he was growing up. Now he is a student at Columbia and hoping to become a professor on topics like mass incarceration. And then I also spoke with Isabella Mason, who is a current high school student in Brooklyn. She was just 13 at the time. She remembers constantly scrolling on her phone for updates in 2020. And she said she barely left her bedroom while her school was shut down during COVID. Here's more from those young New Yorkers. My name is Mary Morgan. I'm a sophomore from Brooklyn, New York. I'm studying at Princeton University.

I'm 20. I'm as a fellow. I'm a senior at Middlewood High School. My name's Renair. I just graduated college, and I'm going to work as a journalist. My name is Jason Bostic. I'm currently an undergrad at Columbia University School of General Studies. I'm 23 years old.

I remember the first time I was stopped by police when I was like 13, and I was coming from playing basketball. I was in a cab. They pulled the cab. over and he took me out the cap and I remember being I remember being soaking wet from from sweat I remember shivering because I was so frightened and they kept saying like why you so wet why are you shivering why you scared and I'm like because you pulling over a kid doubt for that to be my first instance of being stopped by a police officer and the way that they approached a situation me being a child I

was like it made me look at them in a certain way I already seen certain things like Trayvon, Eric Garner, experience things in my own life. Like, as just a black young kid, like, oh, you look like me. And, like, I'm also, that could also be me. That could be my fate, too. And I don't know. I think generally as a kid, I had this idea that an early death, honestly, was possible just because you were black or just because you were in the wrong place.

When George Floyd was murdered, for me, it reflected a larger historical legacy. problem of this immense police violence. I remember seeing the video on Facebook. It was infuriating, especially when they're supposed to be the people that protect and serve us. I actually was at one protest at 2020 when they was protesting in the city to see garbage cans on fire, to see like stores boarded up. That was an experience that I never forget.

And I realized, like, yo, I'm a part of history. It was an incredible experience to. to be around so many people who had the same sort of understanding that something is wrong and that this is not normal to see people die on your phones and all these things. There was a lot of power with the unity around, like power and numbers. Since there was so many of us and since you see like the passion of the people around you, it kind of made me fearless just knowing that we're not doing this for ourselves, but it's bigger than us.

I do remember, like, in the days following, the month's following, when the Black Lives Matter movement was at its peak or height. I remember just kind of being in my room constantly scrolling through Twitter because there was always more news and there was always more progress in the social movement being made. That time of like spring 2020 was when I was starting to think, like, journalism just felt really important. I remember feeling like it just was a way to feel connected to the world when, you know, of course everyone had to be isolated and such. I think this is a way I can see the world differently. That period really encouraged me, like, as a person, to speak up and engage in the things that I engaged with. It really instilled in me this, like, desire to want to change how the world is. I will never, never stop being passionate about social justice and advocacy.

In the same breath, though, the way that I've seen online students being, like, targeted for being at protest, I think in that kind of sense, it might discourage me. Seeing what happened in George Floyd ignited a fire in me to be like, I have to do something about it. These young people are reflecting a real mix of emotions five years after Floyd's murder. Sam says many of them are pessimistic that the world will change for the better. Everyone I spoke with actually expressed at least some level of discouragement. They felt like this momentum for the Black Lives Matter movement, for police reform,

had really waned in the five years since people were protesting on the streets. Some people feel like there's been political backlash. And also a lot of them are either currently in college or just about to start college and felt afraid to protest on college campuses because of attitudes around student activism at the time. But that being said, all of these young people told me that they still feel optimistic about the future. Here's Renair Harris again. I kind of have put hopefulness as a rule for me on a personal level just because I just think I would be overrun with despair at this point. So while they do feel uncertain about the world at large, they are all choosing in their own ways to be hopeful.

That's WMYC's Samantha Max. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WMYC. I'm Jinnay Pierre. We'll be back tomorrow.