Communities United for Police Reform: City Council Pledge to Cut $1B from NYPD a Good Start

New York, NY — New York City Council leaders issued a statement late Friday responding to Communities United for Police Reform’s demand for $1 billion in cuts to the NYPD’s budget. In response to that pledge, CPR issued the following statement, attributable to CPR spokesperson Anthonine Pierre.

 

“We are glad that the City Council has heard the demands of the #NYCBudgetJustice movement to #DefundNYPD by at least $1 billion. This pledge is welcome and we applaud it. But a press release is not a plan. Our hundreds of coalition member groups look forward to reviewing the council leadership’s proposed plan, and want to make clear that public safety requires a minimum in $1 billion in NYPD cuts that includes not only a hiring freeze and reduction of officers, but also a complete removal of police from schools and social services, including homeless outreach, mental health response, and youth programs and outreach, as well as a reduction of the NYPD's budget by the costs of abusive policing borne by the City's general fund. The pandemic, uprising and collective national cry that Black Lives Matter create an opportunity for New York City to reimagine safety without relying on police, and the movement led by Communities United for Police Reform demands that we redefine what safety means to prioritize housing and food for all, income supports, environmental and transportation justice, and much more. New Yorkers must continue to protest, march, and call their City Councilmembers and Mayor de Blasio to let them know that we won’t settle for less than $1 billion in NYPD cuts - and that these funds must be reinvested in real community health and safety in the neighborhoods devastated by both the pandemic and violent policing – our Black, Latinx and other communities of color. This is not a time to let up, it's a time to ensure that we are calling for the boldest cuts possible to the NYPD so that there is an equitable recovery and future for all New Yorkers.”