Mayor’s Embrace of Discredited Broken Windows Policing an Invitation for Violence and Criminalization

In response to the NYPD’s renewed focus on broken windows policing and Mayor Adams’ purported comments embracing broken windows policing tactics, Communities United for Police Reform issued the following statement from CPR spokesperson Sala Cyril:

“Broken windows policing is aggressive, violent, dangerous and undermines New Yorkers’ safety, especially for Black, Latinx and other communities of color who are disproportionately targeted,” said Sala Cyril (she/her), spokesperson for Communities United for Police Reform. “Broken windows policing does not result in more safety for our communities; instead, it criminalizes low-income New Yorkers and communities of color, pushing people into the carceral system for non-violent, minor infractions, which has devastating impacts on individual lives and their families and destabilizes entire communities. Overly aggressive enforcement of low-level offenses (aka broken windows policing) also far too often escalates situations between police and community members, which can have brutal and sometimes even fatal consequences for New Yorkers impacted, as we saw with the NYPD killing of Eric Garner. 

“No New Yorker should ever spend a night in jail for falling asleep on a bench or carrying an open container. No young person should be pushed into the criminal legal system for jumping a turnstile or riding a bike on the sidewalk. What hurts our communities is not people living their lives, but aggressive and abusive policing that fails to make us safer.  Rather than turning to more policing and criminalization of poor and low-income New Yorkers and communities of color, our city leaders should be focusing on solutions that actually build the community safety we need by pouring resources into jobs, housing and education supports – opportunities that are all lost or distanced when someone has a criminal record. If our elected officials truly care about our safety, they will invest in our communities – not cops.”

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About Communities United for Police Reform

Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) is an unprecedented campaign to end discriminatory and abusive 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.