Mayor’s Veto of Police Transparency Legislation Condemned by Communities United for Police Reform; City Council Called on to Override

In response to Mayor Eric Adams’ veto of Intro 586 of the How Many Stops Act (HMSA),  Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) issued the following statement from CPR spokesperson Sala Cyril, an organizer with the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, and Iris Baez, mother of Anthony Baez (killed by the NYPD in 1994): 

“Mayor Adams’ veto of the How Many Stops Act is appalling and shows his blatant disregard for the safety and rights of Black, Latinx, and other New Yorkers impacted by discriminatory and abusive policing.  Under the mayor, unconstitutional stop-and-frisk is at its highest level since 2015 and police misconduct reports are up 51%, yet he cares more about shielding his police department's discriminatory and abusive practices than protecting New Yorkers,” said CPR Spokesperson Sala Cyril, an organizer with the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. “As opposed to the misinformation and lies spun by the NYPD, police unions, and Adams’ misinformation campaign, the How Many Stops Act is an easy-to-implement transparency measure that will require officers mere seconds of reporting. Mayor Adams’ lies and misinformation, and now his veto of this urgent and critical bill, beg the question:  why is he fighting so hard to avoid NYPD transparency that New Yorkers have been demanding for years?

Last month, thanks to citywide organizing led by New Yorkers most impacted by the NYPD’s discriminatory practices, including 28 family members whose loved ones were killed by the NYPD, the City Council passed the How Many Stops Act with a veto-proof majority vote. We are now calling on the council to stand with New Yorkers once again and take decisive action to override the mayor’s veto to ensure the How Many Stops Act becomes law.”

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“It's an outrage that the mayor could look me and other family members of those killed by the NYPD in the eyes and tell us that he supported reporting of level 1 and 2 stops before he took office, and then veto HMSA in front of our faces,” said Iris Baez, mother of Anthony Baez (killed by the NYPD in 1994). “Families of New Yorkers killed by the NYPD have been fighting for the How Many Stops Act to become law and the mayor has turned his back on us. Some of our loved ones, like Eric Garner and Antonio Williams, were killed during unconstitutional stops—the very encounters HMSA will illuminate. The City Council must override the veto so that we gain the data and transparency we need to work together toward eradicating unnecessary and unconstitutional policing and ultimately prevent other families from suffering as we do.

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.