Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Dear New Yorkers,
At a recent press conference announcing a sweeping takedown of rival gangs notorious for their wild shootouts across public housing in Brownsville, Brooklyn, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch made the unsolicited point of praising the NYPD’s controversial gang database.
“Yes we certainly did use the criminal group database as part of this investigation,” Tisch said, using the department’s more ambiguous name for the gang list. Asserting that 60% of all shootings in the city have some nexus to gangs or crews, she said the database “remains a valuable tool in our efforts to keep New Yorkers safe.”
The police commissioner’s enthusiastic support stands in contrast to her boss’s feelings: as a candidate, Mayor Zohran Mamdani repeatedly called for terminating the database entirely, embracing the contention promoted by some criminal justice reform advocates that it targets Black and Hispanic teens and young men.
The mayor recently backed off from his call to pull the plug and now insists the database must be reformed.
While a blueprint for fixing the gang database has been around for years, an analysis by THE CITY found that the NYPD stiff-armed or slow-walked nearly a dozen reforms recommended by the city’s ethics watchdog to address allegations of racial bias.
Read more here about what’s perhaps the most high profile of the several areas where Mamdani and Tisch have dramatically different perspectives.
Weather ☀️
Mostly cloudy with a high near 62, going down to 52 at night.
MTA 🚇
The Madison Avenue entrance to 5 Ave. and 53 St. is closed at all times until mid-July. Use the 5 Ave. entrance instead. Find all the MTA’s planned changes and the latest delays here.
Alternate side parking 🚙
It’s in effect today, April 28.
By the way …
There are only a few more days of NYPL’s World Literature & Arts Festival. Find the remaining festival events and workshops here.
Our Other Top Stories
- In a major reversal, New York City schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels withdrew controversial proposals to open the city’s first artificial intelligence-focused high school and to close two middle schools, and relocate another, our friends at Chalkebat report.
- Which comes first, the state budget or the city’s spending plan? As the Mamdani administration pushes for new taxes and more money from Albany, that and much more gets discussed on the latest episode of the FAQ NYC podcast. Listen here.
Reporter’s Notebook
Mayor and Speaker Agree on Budget Extension
City Council Speaker Julie Menin will extend the city’s executive budget deadline on Tuesday as she and Mayor Zohran Mamdani jointly push for more state aid as they work to fill a $5.4 billion deficit, according to people familiar with the matter
The pair are also expected to propose a reduction in what’s known as a Pass-Through Entity, or PTET, tax, which allows some city businesses a break on their federal taxes, ideally bringing in $1 billion.
They’ll also request more money from the state Aid and Incentives to Municipalities program, or AIM.
Mamdani and Menin have publicly sparred at times during budget negotiations, but will team up for the request for help from Albany at a joint press conference at City Hall, according to sources.
The state budget, which was due April 1, is nearly a month late and the state legislature has passed multiple extensions.
—Katie Honan
Mamadani Names Bus Czar
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has appointed a former Transportation Alternatives executive to help carry out his campaign pledge of “fast and free” buses.
Elizabeth Adams will report to Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan while serving as a senior advisor to Mamdani on his commitment to speed citywide bus service through the accelerated expansion of bus lanes citywide and his hoped-for implementation of fare-free buses, City Hall said Monday.
“Our streets belong to the people of New York City and that starts with our buses,” Adams said in a statement. “Mayor Mamdani has made improving public transportation and infrastructure a priority and I am looking forward to working with our partners in government to deliver on making our buses fast and free.”
The Department of Transportation has already embarked on reviving bus lane projects on Fordham Road in The Bronx and along Madison Avenue in Manhattan that had stalled under former Mayor Eric Adams. DOT will next move on to a series of bus lane and safety improvements along Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn.
But the the mayor conceded earlier this month that the “free” part of his pledge, which requires approval from the state, won’t happen citywide this year.
— Jose Martinez
Things To Do
Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.
- Tuesday, April 28: Attend an evening in honor of actor and educator Chadwick Boseman, featuring a historic reading of his play, Hieroglyphic Graffiti, at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Free, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 29: Attend “Foundations of Mexican Independent Cinema,” a film event featuring screenings and discussion focused on Mexican and Latin American filmmakers, artists and intellectuals based in Mexico City at Columbia University School of the Arts. Free, from 3 to 9:00 p.m. Register here.
- Wednesday, April 29: Grab a blanket and come enjoy “The Wild Robot,” an animated movie about Roz, an intelligent robot stranded on an uninhabited island after a shipwreck, at Seth Low Playground in Brooklyn. Free, at 8:00 p.m.
THE KICKER: The lineup for the 40th SummerStage held in Central Park has been announced, featuring artists including Plain White T’s, Yeat and 3OH!3.
Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Tuesday.
Love,
THE CITY
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