Redefining Community Safety Town Halls & Forums
Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) members and partners are hosting a series of virtual town halls and other events called “Redefining Community Safety,” in order to engage the public and the communities most harmed by the NYPD and create a real plan for change in New York City.
In the summer of 2020 Governor Cuomo signed an executive order requiring municipalities in New York State to put forward police “reform and reinvention” plans.
The City’s plan is due on April 1st and in early January, the NYPD and the Mayor’s office both refused to provide any details of the plan’s substance during a City Council hearing on the subject.
We know what this means: The City is not preparing to create a plan that actually makes our communities safer but is instead concocting a plan behind closed doors that only serves the NYPD and City officials. So, we’ll make a plan of our own.
The Redefining Community Safety Town Halls will be hosted by CPR members and partners in communities representing all five boroughs. You can find links to upcoming events below and we encourage you to participate to make your voice heard in how we can redefine community safety so that the needs of all New Yorkers are addressed, without assuming that policing is the answer to all concerns.
After the town halls, CPR will incorporate findings from the Redefining Community Safety series into a report to present to the public and the New York City Council.
Organizers and Co-sponsors (list in formation):
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Virtual Townhall & Forum Schedule:
The virtual forums and town halls listed below are all open to the public.
List in formation, please check back for updates to the schedule and registration information.
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Thursday, January 28, 2021, 6:00 PM Organized by Legal Aid Society, True 2 Life, RISE of Staten Island, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Staten Island Families join CPR member Legal Aid Society for a virtual town hall on community safety. Share your thoughts about what is needed to build a safer NYC. Topics include: Register: bit.ly/lasafety ____________________________________________________ |
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Wednesday, February 03, 2021, 5:00 PM Organized by New York Civil Liberties Union & Center for Constitutional Rights Register: bit.ly/nyclusafety
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Monday, February 8, 2021, 6:00 - 8:00 PM Organized by Interrupting Criminalization and Communities United for Police Reform Co-Sponsored by NYC Anti-Violence Project, Center for Anti-Violence Education (CAE), FIERCE, and Justice Committee Featuring Andrea J. Ritchie, In Our Names Network and author of "Invisible No More" Register: bit.ly/MissingStoryNYPDFor more info, please email: Communities United for Police Reform, justice [at] changethenypd.org (subject: 2%2F9%2F21%20Community%20Safety%20Forum) (j)ustice[At]changethenypd.org ____________________________________________________ |
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Tuesday, February 9, 2021, 6:00 - 8:00 PM Organized by Justice Committee and Communities United for Police Reform Co-Sponsored by The Brooklyn Movement Center, Color of Change, The Gathering for Justice, Justice League NYC and LIFECamp Register: bit.ly/debunkNYPD ____________________________________________________ |
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Wednesday, February 10, 2021, 5:00 - 6:30 PM Organized by New York Civil Liberties Union and Center for Constitutional Rights Register: bit.ly/nycluprotests
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Thursday, February 11, 2021, 6:00 PM Organized by Audre Lorde Project, Girls for Gender Equity, NYC Anti-Violence Project, Public Science Project, New York Civil Liberties Union Register: bit.ly/LGBTQSafety For more info, please contact: Brett Stoudt, bstoudt[At]gmail.com
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Tuesday, February 23, 2021, 6:30 - 8:00 PM Organized by LIFE Camp. Register: lifecampinc.com/publicsafety For more info, please contact: Vanalia Culberston, vanalia[At]peaceisalifestyle.com ____________________________________________________ |
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Wednesday, February 24, 2021, 5:00 - 6:30 PM Organized by Make the Road NY Youth Power Project
Register: bit.ly/RedefiningSafety
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Thursday, February 25, 2021, 6:00 - 8:00 PM Organized by Bronx Defenders, Justice Committee
Register: bit.do/CommunitySafetyBX
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Background:
In the summer of 2020 Governor Cuomo signed an executive order requiring municipalities in New York State to put forward police “reform and reinvention” plans.
Mayor de Blasio, in responding to the executive order has allowed the NYPD to lead the City’s process of public engagement that will result in NYC’s plan. The NYPD attempted to create an illusion of community engagement—a requirement of the executive order—by holding virtual events, but these events served as NYPD propaganda sessions and specifically excluded many of the organizations with the most significant and long-standing experience fighting police violence. The Mayor’s office convened a committee of stakeholders for one meeting in the fall of 2019 to lead a broader community engagement and plan drafting process, but ended that committee without notice, after concerns about NYPD control were raised in the first meeting.
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