CPR Statement in response to Shooting Incident in Sunset Park, Brooklyn

Below is a statement from Communities United for Police Reform spokesperson, Rama Issa-Ibrahim, in response to the April 12, 2022 mass shooting incident in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

"In the immediate moments following this week’s horrific subway shooting in Sunset Park and in the days that have followed, we have witnessed the strength and resilience of everyday New Yorkers, from our communities, supporting one another and responding to this week’s incident. It is our neighbors, community members, and community groups who are providing support and resources, and who are calling for this moment to be met with real solutions to address the issues our city is facing, including violence, that will only come from deep and sustainable investments in our communities, not in more police and surveillance.  

"CPR stands in solidarity and support of the Sunset Park community, and we lift up the extensive efforts of our members and partners leading work to heal from the trauma of this week’s attack and who have a long history of working to keep the safety of NYC’s communities close to heart in our movement.

"New Yorkers from across the city, including some of our elected leaders, have raised their voices to say that relying on the failed policing is not the answer we need. The NYPD already has a bloated $10 billion budget that far surpasses the resources provided to other more critical agencies and community-based programs that are better equipped to address issues of health, housing, jobs and education, and that actually respond to and improve conditions of safety in our communities. Pouring more resources into already over-resourced NYPD, increasing police presence in our neighborhoods and on the subways, and expanding police surveillance technologies and apparatus will not make communities safer. If they did, we wouldn’t be facing the challenges we are facing now.

"In his first 100+days in office, Mayor Adams has doubled down on failed policing strategies of the past that only take our city backward; approaches that did nothing to improve safety for our communities then and continue to fail our communities today. He has deployed more police and aggressive policing strategies that make our city less safe and increase the likelihood of New Yorkers encountering violence, abuse and harassment by NYPD officers. The NYPD has already flooded the subway system with over 1,000 additional officers and increased resources to deploy more officers in our communities through the rebranded plainclothes anti-crime unit. Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen video accounts of disgraceful treatment of homeless New Yorkers by the NYPD as they have conducted sweeps; often with little notice, destroying people’s personal property, and without providing real options for safe housing. The NYPD has also doubled down once again on broken windows policing, escalating its focus on the hyper-aggressive enforcement of low-level offenses, which only criminalizes New Yorkers --  particularly young, Black and Latinx and low-income New Yorkers –and creates more precarious economic conditions for communities already struggling to recover from the impacts of the past several years. 

"For decades, New York communities have been underfunded while the NYPD’s budget and scope have continued to expand; yet this week’s events point to another example of why our city leaders must rethink an approach to public safety that is holistic and rooted in community-based prevention and intervention. One that does not prioritize more policing, which we know does not prevent (or even solve) such heinous acts. We must instead invest in our communities themselves by committing resources to services like housing, mental health services, youth programs and jobs that are able to build and support safe and thriving communities equipped to heal from, overcome, and prevent the harms of violence."

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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.