Community Groups Call for a Budget that Centers Justice not Policing

Yesterday, Mayor Adams released his FY24 executive budget and was immediately met with widespread criticism for continuing to cut resources for basic community needs while protecting the bloated NYPD budget. Communities United for Police Reform released the following statement from CPR spokesperson Ileana Méndez-Peñate. 

“We are at a moment when New Yorkers can’t access food stamps, can’t get placed into permanent housing, and can't access other vital services because so many city agencies and programs are struggling under the budget cuts that the mayor has already made this year. Since coming into office the mayor has made consecutive budget cuts approximately every four months that continue to strip away resources from already struggling agencies and programs. He has continued to prioritize policing and criminalization over the basic needs of New Yorkers, and he has failed to reign in an already bloated $11 billion police budget and egregious NYPD overspending. This is not the pathway to true public safety and is especially harmful to New Yorkers who are Black, Latinx, immigrants, LGBTQIA+ and other people of color living in communities that are over-policed and under-resourced. New Yorkers across the city are calling for what our communities truly need to survive and thrive – a just and moral budget that invests in health, education, housing, community programs and other critical services, and reduces the NYPD’s violent and bloated budget.”

This year, CPR’s Budget Justice Coalition has released a new FY24 platform called A New York City Budget for Safety & Dignity that calls for cuts to the NYPD's bloated $11B budget and overreach and demands bold investments in housing, mental health, education, youth services and other public infrastructure that will actually increase the immediate and long-term safety of all New Yorkers. The city is facing serious problems that will not be addressed with increased policing.  

To read the full CPR #NYCBudgetJustice platform, visit https://www.changethenypd.org/nycbudgetjustice. 

About Communities United for Police Reform

Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) is an unprecedented campaign to end discriminatory policing practices in New York, and to build a lasting movement that promotes public safety and reduces reliance on policing. CPR runs coalitions of over 200 local, statewide and national organizations, bringing together a movement of community members, lawyers, researchers and activists to work for change. The partners in this campaign come from all 5 boroughs, from all walks of life and represent many of those most unfairly targeted by the NYPD.