Today, on the heels over 75 organizations demanding more services and less policing, Mayor Eric Adams gave his annual State of the City address. In response to the mayor’s address, Communities United for Police Reform released the following statement by CPR spokesperson Sala Cyril (she/her).
“Mayor Adams’ State of the City once again demonstrates that he cares more about touting policies that neglect to meaningfully address issues of safety and sustainable recovery for New Yorkers than he does about actually centering the expressed needs of our communities. Since the start of his administration, Black, Latinx, and other communities of color have demanded an end to discriminatory policing and accountability for NYPD abuses that include a reduction in the scope and budget of the NYPD.
“Instead, today, the Mayor doubled down on his commitment to sustain abusive policing tactics like the hyperaggressive enforcement of low-level offenses, expand police surveillance and continue to support notoriously violent units, like his rebranded anti-crime unit and SRG (Strategic Response Group). The result will be more harm for our communities, increased criminalization that reinforces cycles of poverty, especially for Black, Latinx, and other communities of color, immigrants, homeless New Yorkers, youth, and LGBTQI communities disproportionately targeted by these abusive practices.
“Communities, who have for decades been targeted, harassed, and abused by NYPD, need accountability -- an end to abusive practices, stronger police oversight, and real accountability for officers who brutalize and kill New Yorkers. The mayor’s focus on police/community relationships is a distraction that fails to acknowledge, much less address, the real issue of safety.
“While his speech today also alleged support for more community services, it sorely misses the mark. The reality is that in both his FY23 budget and proposed FY24 budget, the Mayor has continued to gut essential services like housing, mental health, early childhood education, and libraries while preserving a bloated police budget that does nothing to make New Yorkers safer. Just yesterday, nearly 80 organizations banded together to call for a different direction; one that restores and increases investments in health, education, housing, community programs, and other critical services while reducing the NYPD's size and scope, cutting its exorbitant budget, and delivering real accountability.
“No matter how many false victory laps the mayor attempts to take, his record shows a different reality. New Yorkers know the real state of the city, and we know what we need for our communities to thrive. So as we move forward this year, we will be organizing to win a vision for our city that centers what our communities need.”
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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.