In response to Mayor Adams’ and NYPD Commissioner Tisch’s announcement of the new NYPD task force, Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) released the following statement on behalf of CPR spokesperson Monifa Bandele, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement.
“Mayor Adams’ new task force is a complete misnomer. Let’s be clear, this crackdown on low-level offenses is just the latest version of Giuliani-era broken windows policing. This is not about increasing quality of life, this is about violating the rights of working class communities of color, criminalizing poverty and drug use, and using hyper-aggressive tactics that target poor and homeless New Yorkers, LGBTQI+ communities, and Black, Latinx and other youth of color. We know for a fact that more police do not keep us safe and that the majority of New Yorkers who live in heavily-policed neighborhoods have experienced varying degrees of physical, sexual or verbal harm by the NYPD. This new unit will only escalate and increase the harms, arrests and violence our communities experience.
“Adams is once again expanding the NYPD by relying on specialized units, as he’s done with the Neighborhood Safety Teams (a rebranding of the notoriously violence Street Crimes Unit), Community Response Team and Strategic Response Group. These units have increased discriminatory and abusive policing and contribute to a system of NYPD impunity by operating without any meaningful transparency, oversight or discipline. The so-called “Quality of Life” Division will bring more of the same violence and abuse we’ve come to expect from Adams’ NYPD with virtually no accountability. ”
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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.