In the Media

Pols, activists join legal battle over revealing any actions against cop who choked Eric Garner

09/05/2016
New York Daily News

Pull back the curtain!

So says a group of elected officials and activist groups that will file briefs Tuesday in support of a two-year legal battle to get the city to release the disciplinary records of the cop who fatally choked Eric Garner back in 2014, organizers said.

The effort is being mounted by Garner's mother Gwen Carr, members of the City Council, Public Advocate Letitia James and Communities United for Police Reform, a nonprofit dedicated to greater police accountability.

Controversial NYPD Reform Bill Blocked by Speaker Now Has Veto-Proof Majority Support

08/26/2016
Observer

A hotly contested measure that would obligate cops give their name, rank and command during most routine stops now has enough backers it could theoretically override a veto by Mayor Bill de Blasio—if his ally Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito would ever let it get a vote on the City Council floor.

Homeless to Mayor: Keep your promises

08/25/2016
Amsterdam News

Homeless New Yorkers and their advocates want New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to own up to his promise to them.

Last Thursday, outside of City Hall, members of Picture the Homeless, Communities United for Police Reform, the New York Civil Liberties Union, the Justice Committee and FIERCE (an organization that caters to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer youth of color in New York City) demanded that police abuse against homeless people end and that the mayor adopt cost-effective housing solutions by using city-owned lots to construct housing.

Criminal Justice Reforms Stall in a Liberal Capital: New York

08/21/2016
New York Times

Utah, a state where even regular beer is considered too intoxicating, has made possession of heroin or cocaine a misdemeanor rather than a felony. Mississippi has reduced its prison population by 15 percent with new legislation.

Several states have decriminalized marijuana for recreational use. More than a half-dozen states have passed laws restricting the use of cellphone-tracking technology by the police.

Council got played in its deal with the police

We need a law, not the NYPD's word, to change the way cops search New Yorkers
08/16/2016
Crain's New York
Richard Aborn’s op-ed “Give the NYPD a chance to reform itself” is perplexing, describing City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito’s backroom deal as both weaker than what the speaker has portrayed and stronger than its factual impact. Either he is confused or being disingenuous. The speaker’s deal does not “adopt most” of the Right to Know Act as Mr. Aborn insinuates. In fact, it adopts very little because it has removed the most important reforms, including those highlighted by Mr. Aborn as recommended by President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing (which he misnames and incorrectly implies took a position opposed to legislation).

Watchdog: NYPD needs more transparency on misconduct cases

08/15/2016
Newsday

A government watchdog laid out a proposal Monday for greater transparency of NYPD operations and accountability for officer actions.

Citizens Union released an 18-point policy statement that, among other goals, seeks to establish consistency across the police oversight system and expand the range of disciplinary options for cases of officer misconduct.

The group’s executive director, Dick Dadey, said the introduction of a new police commissioner, James O’Neill, next month opens a door to improved NYPD-community relations.

Good-government groups blast backroom deal that sank police-reform bills

Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito mothballed two police-reform bills after reaching a private agreement with police leaders last month
08/15/2016
Crain's New York

Good-government and police-reform groups blasted the City Council’s “handshake agreement”with the Police Department Monday as “irresponsible” and “not how the City Council should act,” in the words of Citizens Union’s Dick Dadey.

Procedural Move Could Lead to Vote on Right to Know Act

08/12/2016
Gotham Gazette

Last week, City Council Members Ritchie Torres and Antonio Reynoso sent out a joint statement in which they addressed the ramifications of the impending retirement of NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton. “With the departure of William Bratton,” the statement reads, “we are reminded that administrative agreements are every bit as short-lived as commissioners themselves, coming and going in the moments we least expect.”

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