NYC NOW - Evening Roundup: NYC Cyclists Rack up Summonses, Columbia Disciplines Student Protesters, Free Uber Rides for Domestic Violence Survivors, NY Bill Would Ban Any Officer from Wearing a Face Mask, and Armored Fighting in Manhattan

Episode Date: July 23, 2025

Police data shows the NYPD issued ten times more criminal summonses to cyclists in the second quarter of 2025 than the first. Plus, Columbia University announces new punishments for students who took over part of a campus library during a Pro-Palestinian protest last spring. Also, Uber is giving free rides to domestic violence survivors. Meanwhile, the Senate is reviewing a state bill called the MELT Act; short for Mandating End of Lawless Tactics. And finally, a gladiator training class teaches the basics of sword fighting and more in Manhattan.

New York City cyclists rack up criminal summonses. Columbia University disciplined student protesters. Free Uber rides for domestic violence survivors. A proposed New York State bill that would ban any officer from wearing a face mask and armored fighting in Manhattan. From WMYC, this is NYC now. I'm Jene Pierre. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch wasn't kidding when she said the city would step up enforcement on cyclists.

police data shows that the NYPD issued 10 times more criminal summonses in the second quarter of 2025 than the first. It's part of Commissioner Tish's amped up enforcement plans around street safety. Back in April, she announced a major crackdown on cyclists running red lights, going the wrong way down streets, and not wearing helmets. Instead of tickets, lawless cyclists now get criminal summonses and have to appear in court. The latest data shows that police have issued about 6,000 of the so-called pink tickets. to cyclists between April and the end of June. Columbia University is announcing new punishments for students who took over part of a campus library during a pro-Palestinian protest last spring. WMYC's Jessica Gould has more.

More than 70 students have been placed on probation, expelled or suspended for the protest at Columbia's Butler Library in May. The protest, which targeted Israel's attacks on Gaza, took place during the study period for finals, and it lasted several hours until it was broken up by police. Columbia officials say they're working to restore a billion dollars in funding that the Trump administration withheld. President Trump says Columbia has failed to address anti-Semitism on campus, though many Columbia students and faculty call that a pretext for controlling higher education and free speech. The university argues it's trying to maintain a campus that respects all of its students. Uber is now giving free rides to domestic violence.

survivors in New York City. The initiative is called Hope Rides, and organizers say it will help survivors get to and from family justice centers free of charge. Family justice centers are places where survivors can go to get access to crucial resources like counseling, housing assistance, and legal help. New York City has five of these facilities, one in each borough. Domestic violence experts and officials with the Adams administration say the initiative will help save lives by providing safe transportation for survivors. A New York State bill would ban ICE and other law enforcement agencies from wearing face coverings. More on that after the break.

A new bill in New York State aims to put an end to ICE officers wearing face masks. The bill is called the Melt Act, short for mandating end of lawless tactics. It was proposed by state assembly member Tony Simone, a Democrat from Manhattan. You might be thinking, how does New York even have the authority to regulate how ice operates? After all, it's a federal agency, right? Well, WMYC's Ariasundrum says that's the big legal question here. But there's a strong case the state should be able to enact the bill because it applies to all law enforcement, not just federal law enforcement officers like ICE.

That's right. The bill would apply to all law enforcement officers, local, state, and federal. There are exceptions for the use of masks for medical purposes, water rescues, fires, chemical exposure, weather and SWAT teams. However, ARIA points out that there have been some changes at the local level recently with regards to law enforcement officers wearing masks. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman recently signed an executive order allowing police to wear masks when helping with federal immigration enforcement. And that was a carve-out exception to the county's broader mask ban. So this bill, the Melt Act, would also supersede that county executive order. So Nassau County

police and sheriff's deputies wouldn't be allowed to wear masks either. The bill also requires officers to have their name or badge number on their uniform, and violators could be charged with a misdemeanor. Assembly member Simone proposed the state bill for a number of reasons. For one, he noticed ICE officers appearing at immigration courthouses in New York City, making arrests with their faces covered. Aria says these courthouse arrests have been controversial. because advocates say people going to court hearings are doing the right thing.

They are following the rules, and advocates fear that arrests there will lead to more immigrants avoiding court hearings entirely. She also notes that another reason Assembly member Simone proposed the bill is because of President Trump's signature domestic policy bill, which includes $170 billion towards an immigration crackdown. Aria says that will transform ICE into the largest law enforcement agency in the country. ICE arrests have already. been on the rise under his administration, and with this new bill, experts tell me arrests will

multiply. As of now, the Melt Act is making its way through the legislative process. It's currently being introduced to the New York Senate. The official state legislative session doesn't start until January, but there could be a special session sometime later this year, where the bill could be heard and voted on before January. Several lawmakers and advocates have come out in support of the bill. At the core of their argument is transparency and accountability. Others have been saying the masks make officers seem like, quote-unquote, secret police. And the Department of Homeland Security really takes issue with that language. Assistant Secretary Trisha McLaughlin said there's been a major increase in assaults against ICE agents.

She also says ICE officers verbally identify themselves, where vests that say ICE, ERO or Homeland Security, and they're flinked by vehicles that say the name of their department. You know, I've also seen officers who are wearing masks and are in plain clothes arresting people as well. That's WMYC's ARIA Sundaram. For an increasing number of New Yorkers, medieval combat is more than just a novelty concept. It's a community and a hot ticket. My colleague Hannah Frischberg recently sat in on a gladiator training class to learn the basics of sword fighting and talk to the folks who are trying to make this sport big in New York City.

On a recent Tuesday evening, I headed to the Manhattanville Community Center to experience an increasingly popular pastime for New Yorkers, an armored fighting class. It started much like a typical workout course. But then, the instructor brought out foam swords. Damione de Gratziah founded Santa's Knights, the group behind the gladiator boot camp, in 2016. He describes the team's sport as full contact MMA with steel weapons.

More advanced gladiators do use real swords. DiGrazias has been trying to make armored combat mainstream for 12 years. He's staged public brawls in places like Central Park, and he offers free weekly classes here in this Harlem Community Center. Shannon Lindley was there helping teach the class. I think that the people that tend towards this sport happen to exist in an intersection of like playing Dungeons and Dragons and liking football. She says it's not just about fighting.

It's also about building community. I think that the United States of America is nothing but communities, right? Like either you're in golf or you're in bowling or you're a larper or you go to church or you go to the mosque or something like that, right? She says it's the same thing at this class. Just another one of the hundreds of thousands of examples in America that are the things that people do that make up the rich tapestry of American culture. Recently, Degraziah feels he's really really.

broken through. In May, he staged an armored combat tournament at New Jersey's American Dream Mall. And on July 31st, he's pitting eight fighters against each other in a duel at Long Island City's Melrose Ballroom. So now anybody in New York can take these classes for free. Whether we had 40 women come, whether we have a thousand people in Central Park that come to our events and things like that, it's free. If you want to learn to wield a sword yourself, you can take one of DeGrazias's classes. They now have dedicated women's and veteran-specific boot camps. DeGratia says this type of fighting is for everyone. That's WMYC's Hannah Frischberg.

Thanks for listening to NYC now from WMYC. I'm Jenae Pierre. We'll be back tomorrow.