Press Releases

For immediate release:
April 21, 2016

Hundreds of New Yorkers Rally at City Hall to Demand Police Reforms with Support to Pass in City Council

Families & New Yorkers impacted by police abuse/brutality, artists and electeds call for City Council passage of Right to Know Act

Broad support for reforms from over 100 groups announced, highlights that communities don’t view de Blasio/Bratton “community policing” & training as addressing needed police accountability/transparency

For immediate release:
April 5, 2016

After Budget with No Criminal Justice Reforms, Advocates Call for New York to Lead Nation by Prioritizing Modernization of Police Data Reporting

Leaders and New Yorkers from across state urge legislature and governor to lead on justice, public safety and transparency

Advocates from Communities United for Police Reform and other organizations from across New York were joined by Assemblyman Joseph Lentol and Senator Daniel Squadron to call for the prioritizing of criminal justice reform that advances transparency in the post-budget legislative session. Specifically, the group called for the passage of the Police-STAT Act (A.7698/S.6001), legislation sponsored by Lentol and Sqaudron that would requre state government to publicly report vital information about policing across the state.

 

For immediate release:
March 10, 2016

After Preet Bharara’s Failure, Ramarley Graham’s Family & Supporters Demand Accountability and Justice from Mayor de Blasio, Bratton with Call to Fire Officers

Meeting between family and Justice Department revealed Bratton distorted facts to delay disciplining officers; community leaders demand end to delays and excuses

Two days after U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara announced he would not pursue charges against the officers responsible for killing Ramarley Graham, Graham’s parents and supporters turned their attention to Mayor de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner Bratton, demanding they fire all the officers involved in the killing and subsequent treatment of the family and incident.

For immediate release:
March 9, 2016

Police Reform Campaign Responds to Preet Bharara, DOJ Decision Not to Prosecute Officer Who Killed Ramarley Graham

Calls for de Blasio and Bratton to fire officers, questions Bratton's inaccurate statement about Justice Department request

In response to U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara failing to convene a grand jury for the killing of Ramarley Graham, Communities United for Police Reform released the following statement from spokesperson Monifa Bandele.

For immediate release:
February 16, 2016

CPR Statement re Court Monitor’s Stop-and-Frisk Report

In response to the second report filed by the court-appointed monitor overseeing reforms to the NYPD’s unconstitutional stop-and-frisk practices, Communities United for Police Reform released the following statement from Alyssa Aguilera, Co-Executive Director of VOCAL-NY.

“This is the second report where the court monitor is raising serious concerns about stop-and-frisks going unrecorded and being improperly documented. The fact that important changes are not being properly implemented by the department and enforced by supervising officers is unsurprising but of significant concern to impacted communities, given the NYPD's long history of insufficient accountability and transparency.

For immediate release:
February 11, 2016

CPR Statement re: Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito's State of the City Criminal Justice Proposals

In response to the criminal justice reform proposals in New York City Council Speaker Mark-Viverito’s State of the City address, Communities United for Police Reform released the following statement from spokesperson Alyssa Aguilera, Political Director of VOCAL-NY.

“It’s good to see justice as such a central focus of Speaker Mark-Viverito’s State of the City address, and we welcome a focus on how we achieve it for New Yorkers. There were important proposals put forward today, and our hope is to work together with Speaker Mark-Viverito and the Council to achieve these goals, while at the same time passing critical police reforms like the Right to Know Act.

For immediate release:
February 9, 2016

Elected Officials & Advocates Call for New York to Modernize Police Data Reporting & Transparency with Police-STAT

Leaders urge state to lead country in addressing national problem of states’ insufficient data reporting on police activity as way to improve justice and public safety
Advocates from Communities United for Police Reform were joined by Assemblyman Joseph Lentol and Senator Daniel Squadron – the sponsors of the Police Statistics and Transparency (Police-STAT) Act – to call for New York to modernize the reporting of data on policing activity throughout the state. The Police-STAT Act (A.7698/S.6001) would allow the state to capture and publicly report vital information about policing across the state.
For immediate release:
February 2, 2016

Ramarley Graham’s Family & Supporters Hold All-Night Vigil outside Department of Justice on 4th Anniversary of His Killing by NYPD

New Yorkers gather for justice outside Preet Bharara’s office for vigil that continues overnight to demand Bharara prosecute cops who killed Ramarley Graham
On the four year anniversary of Ramarley Graham’s killing by NYPD officers, his parents – Constance Malcolm and Frank Graham – were joined by the family members of other New Yorkers killed by the NYPD to demand accountability in the killing of Ramarley Graham. Along with community supporters and many other New Yorkers, they called on Preet Bharara and the U.S. Department of Justice to give the case equal priority to those pursued against public corruption, and to prosecute NYPD officer Richard Haste – who shot and killed Graham – and all the officers involved in the incident and aftermath on the scene.

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