NYC NOW - Morning Headlines: NYC Schools Chancellor Vows Protection for Undocumented Families, New NYPD Data Shows Gun Violence Is Down in City., and Jim Walden Exits Mayor’s Race

Episode Date: September 3, 2025

Schools Chancellor Melissa Avilés-Ramos says city schools will do everything possible to keep undocumented students safe from detention. Meanwhile, despite Labor Day weekend saw shootings in Brooklyn and the Bronx, new NYPD data show overall gun violence is trending down. Plus, independent candidate Jim Walden has dropped out of the New York City mayor’s race.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Wednesday, September 3rd. Here's the morning headlines. I'm Jenae Pierre. New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Avelace Ramos says she's reassuring undocumented families. City schools will do everything possible to keep their children safe from detention. We have really been holding a lot of Know Your Rights trainings for. families as well as know their rights trainings for our staff, including parent coordinators,

principals, and school safety agents. Several public school students have been detained at court appearances in recent months, but not at schools. The chancellor says educators know federal law enforcement is only allowed to inter-school buildings with a judicial warrant. About 40,000 migrant students have joined city classrooms since 2022, though educators say some families who came in recent years have left. The new school year in New York City starts this Thursday. It was a grim Labor Day weekend for gun violence in New York City, with mass shootings in Brooklyn and the Bronx. But new gun violence data from the NYPD tell a different story. WMYC's Joe Hong explains the numbers. Gun violence is down overall this year by nearly 20%.

More than half of the city's police precincts saw fewer shooting incidents as of late August. City and police officials attributed the downtake to increase patrols in neighborhoods with high rates of gun violence. But some precincts are still struggling. Seven had an above average number of shootings this year and an increase of two or more shootings compared to last year. Like the 47th precinct in the North Bronx, with eight more shootings this year compared to 2024. Independent candidate Jim Walden says he's dropping out of the race for New York City Mayor. In a statement released online, Walden says he can't spend more public money on a, quote, feudal campaign. Walden is a former prosecutor who worked in the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney's Office.

He ran a centrist campaign built around public safety and anti-corruption. Most polls had him with the least amount of support among the five major candidates running for City Hall. In his statement, he didn't endorse another candidate, but echoed Andrew Cuomo's call for a one-on-one race against Democratic nominee Zoramom Dani to prevent, quote, a Trojan horse from taking control of City Hall. in the upper 70s and clear skies ahead tonight with lows around 60. Mostly sunny on Thursday with a high around 78. Good morning. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WMYC.

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