It’s not clear exactly why these CUNY Law School grads decided to turn their backs on Mayor Adams but if I had to guess it was probably his reluctance to call the death of a Jordan Neely a murder and instead suggest people should wait for the results of an investigation. But the way it came across today was a bunch of leftists booing him for having once been a police officer.

As the City University of New York School of Law dean, Sudha Setty, introduced the mayor on Friday, she noted his time spent on the police force. The crowd booed.

When Mr. Adams took to the stage in a Queens College auditorium and spoke, things got much worse. Many of the newly minted doctors of law, in black gowns and mortar boards, turned their backs to him.

The loudest booing took place midway through is speech when Adams mentioned his history as a cop. “Let’s be clear, for 22 years of my life I wore a bulletproof vest and protected the children and families of this city…So I know what it takes to hold this city together.”

The new grads did not disappoint during the speech. Lots of heckling, most grads turned their backs pic.twitter.com/D8uLMAyTMU

— ɐılıs (@ilissilia) May 12, 2023

What does it say when law school graduates are booing not just the mayor but the very idea of working for the police? I think it says that very few of these kids are going to be prosecutors. I think it says that they have a very unbalanced view of what life would be like without police in a city the size of New York. And I think it says that the woke mind virus has taken over this law school just as it seems to have taken over so many others.

Adams went on to say that he’s protested plenty of things in his life but added, “I’m not the mayor because I know how to protest. I’m the mayor because I know how to speak on behalf of the countless number of people in this city.”

The mayor probably came to say something nice about the graduates but given the welcome he received he decided to stick his thumb in their collective eye.

“We’re watching a clear lack of desire to even participate in healthy dialogue,” he told the students. He concluded his remarks with a broad smile, commending the graduates for exercising their right to protest, but suggesting that they do more.

“My message today to the graduates,” he said, “my message to those who believe that their beliefs are the only beliefs in a diversified city like New York, my message to you, instead of being a detached spectator in the full contact sport called life, get on the field and participate about improving the lives of the people of this city.”

The mayor got one more big boo at the end when he said, “Use your power and skills not to yell but to quell the burning desire that we have.” As the students booed, Adams almost seemed to be restraining a laugh. The NY Post spoke to one of the grads who was present:

“Adams had the audacity to compare his tenure in NYPD to the discipline, principles, and commitment of our class. Within our short time at CUNY Law, we’ve served and protected the citizens of New York City more than his 20-plus years as a cop,” said one 28-year-old student, who asked not to be named.

“My class’s rage is fueled by Adams’ opportunistic response to Jordan Neely’s lynching by demonizing the poor and propping his forced psychiatric incarceration policies,” she said.

Kelly Folkers, 33, another CUNY law school student, said Adams has dropped the ball on social justice in the Big Apple.

“We are very concerned about his support of policing, and the communities that are terrorized by police here in Queens and all over the city,” Folkers said.

I also found this thread on Twitter from someone who claims to be a CUNY grad who was angry about the mayors appearance. He says the law school hid Adams’ appearance from the students knowing they would have organized against it if they’d been told sooner.

Eric Adams tried to ruin my law school graduation and failed because CUNY isn’t like other law schools. It the most diverse in the US. It sends the most people into public service. We stood up to reject crippling austerity and police violence. Shame on the admins who booked him. https://t.co/UmaMdQXyXq

— 𝖗𝖊𝖏𝖊𝖈𝖙 𝖆𝖚𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖞 (@brianrav3n) May 12, 2023

As I suspected, Jordan Neely figures in this.

The mayor had the audacity to appear at our celebration after proposing a massive round of budget cuts to CUNY, and just after his disgusting handling of the murder of Jordan Neely/the out of control SRG brutalizing protestors and arresting media. What did he expect to happen?

— 𝖗𝖊𝖏𝖊𝖈𝖙 𝖆𝖚𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖞 (@brianrav3n) May 12, 2023

And of course, he thinks Adams is a fascist who supports the “death-dealing police.”

We cannot and will not sit back as our critical institutions are laid waste, as fascist politicians defund public education (and other life giving institutions such as libraries) to shovel more money to the death dealing police.

— 𝖗𝖊𝖏𝖊𝖈𝖙 𝖆𝖚𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖞 (@brianrav3n) May 12, 2023

Honestly, I can’t verify this person is a CUNY Law grad but he sounds exactly like the ones that the NY Post spoke to so he’s probably the real deal. In general I think we need fewer law schools teaching students that police are the source of our problems.

Here’s the full ceremony cued up to the introduction of Mayor Adams.