In response to Mayor Adams’ annual State of The City, Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) released the following statement on behalf of CPR Spokesperson, Hassen Bashir, VOCAL-NY, Civil Rights Campaign Coordinator.
“The mayor of New York City has one of the most influential platforms in the world and should use it to support the creation of a just and thriving New York City. Unfortunately, Mayor Adams continues to prioritize himself and his own political future over the safety and wellbeing of New Yorkers. Instead of endorsing meaningful policy change that will help New Yorkers and committing to taking action to end NYPD abuse, misconduct and corruption, the mayor is doubling down on expanding policing, increasing NYPD budget bloat, shielding abusive cops, and stoking fear amongst New Yorkers. Especially with an incoming president hell bent on mass deportations and ending Medicare and Social Security, we need a mayor who will put policies in place that will protect New Yorkers.
“The reason people don’t feel safe isn’t because of crime, which the mayor himself celebrates as in decline – it is because of his divisive rhetoric. A master at manipulation, the mayor rules through fear – making people afraid of the subway (especially with his addition of 200 cops riding on trains standing at subway stations), of people who have mental health complexities, of people who are immigrants, of people who are unhoused and of each other.
“This is not to say that real and horrific incidents haven’t occurred– but the further expansion of policing and criminalizing vulnerable New Yorkers will not address the root issues and only puts more New Yorkers at higher risks of violence. Since Mayor Adams took office, he has widened the already alarming gaps in social services, leaving many more New Yorkers with nowhere to turn. Mayor Adams has slashed housing and mental health care budgets, stripped funding for services for New Yorkers facing historic levels of homelessness and cut critical city agencies across the board. In addition, he continues to push for further incarceration and criminalization of people living with serious mental illness, instead of closing the huge gaps in services that leave so many without care. The only real investments Mayor Adams has made have been about increasing funds to the NYPD and investing in criminalization and control of New Yorkers. True leadership means prioritizing the well-being of people over politics. It means recognizing that safety is not achieved through control and fear, but through care, compassion and the investment in communities.
“To reduce violence and tackle the challenges facing our city, we must invest in programs and services that promote real safety, reduce homelessness, reduce overdoses, reduce incarceration, and empower New Yorkers to thrive. Mayor Adams must curb the NYPD’s excessive power, hold abusive officers accountable, and break the cycle of corruption within his administration. We have the power to choose a different path – a path that moves beyond the politics of fear and toward the possibilities of a true, collective safety. The future of New York depends on it.”
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BACKGROUND
Under Mayor Adams:
- Unjustified police stops have skyrocketed, NYPD misconduct claims have increased by over 50% and the NYPD is increasingly burying and blocking discipline in police brutality cases.
- The mayor and now multiple NYPD Commissioners under his watch have refused to fire NYPD officers who killed Kawaski Trawick, Delrawn Small, Allan Feliz, Win Rozario, Antonio Williams, Ronald Anthony Smith and others. Furthermore, Mayor Adams has supported NYPD’s delay tactics, lies, and cover-up attempts following incidents of police misconduct and killings.
- Adams cut the budget of the Civilian Complaint Review Board and pushed out its chair, Arva Rice, after she sought more funding and criticized the NYPD for its routine delay tactics after officers kill New Yorkers.
- He vetoed police transparency legislation and rewrote the city’s charter (essentially our constitution) to give himself more power after the Council overrode his veto;
- Increased the NYPD budget to a record-breaking $12 billion and earmarked $225 million for a local Cop City;
- Allowed officers to violently respond to student protests and even shoot a gun in a university building without consequence;
- Overseen the number of discriminatory stop-and-frisks climb to the highest levels in more than a decade.
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.