Broken Windows

The city has Adams’ back…well, some of it

01/13/2022

Amsterdam News

With the Bill de Blasio era in the rearview mirror, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has quickly established himself at City Hall. But there’s a line of demarcation between what elected officials hope to get out of the next four years and what some activists expect they will get.

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander said that Adams is more than capable of handling the big problems.

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June 3, 2020

Outraged by Rampant Police Brutality, Elected Officials, Families of New Yorkers Killed by NYPD and Racial Justice Leaders Demand Major Cuts to the NYPD to Reduce Violence and Fund Equitable Recovery from COVID-19

New York, NY (June 3, 2020) – Today, Communities United for Police Reform (CPR), the mothers of Ramarley Graham and Mohammad Bah, sister of Delrawn Small and elected officials emphasized why NYPD’s recent, frequent and detestable violence toward NYC communities underscores the urgent need for major cuts to the NYPD. The speakers shared how substantial cuts to NYPD’s bloated $6 billion budget are an essential measure to reduce police brutality and violence. Redirected, these funds can promote a strong and equitable recovery from COVID-19.

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May 26, 2020

Gwen Carr, Mother of Eric Garner, Condemns Minneapolis Police Killing of George Floyd, Who Said “I Can’t Breathe” Before Dying

New York – Today, Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, condemned the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, who was heard on video saying “I can’t breathe” before dying – the same words Garner used when he was killed by NYPD officers in 2014.

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May 22, 2020

Families of New Yorkers Killed by NYPD & Racial Justice Groups Call on New York State Legislative Leaders to Include Police Accountability and Transparency Bills in COVID-19 Relief Package

New York – Today, families of New Yorkers killed by police came together with racial justice groups, police accountability groups, and prominent labor unions like 1199 SEIU-UHWE and 32BJ SEIU to call on the state's legislative leaders to pass police accountability and transparency measures as part of an emergency COVID-19 relief package likely to be considered in the legislature after Memorial Day.

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CPR Leaders Call for The Complete Removal of NYPD Officers from Enforcement of Social Distancing

On Friday, May 22, 2020, at a City Council public safety committee hearing, members and leaders of Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) called for complete removal of NYPD officers from enforcement of social distancing enforcement. They recommended that public health professionals and community organizations are tasked with educating New Yorkers about the importance of social distancing and helping to create new norms that will protect all communities through the pandemic. They also called for deep NYPD budget cuts to be redirected to agencies to meet basic needs and help ensure an equitable COVID-19 recovery for Black, Latinx, and other communities of color in NYC. Written and oral comments were submitted by Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) and CPR Members from New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU); Drug Policy Alliance; Justice Committee, Legal Aid Society; Center for Constitutional Rights; and Take Root Justice.

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CPR Leaders Call for Deep NYPD Budget Cuts

On Thursday, May 21, 2020, at a city council finance committee hearing, members and leaders of Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) called for deep NYPD budget cuts, and a redirection of resources toward underfunded city agencies that will need to play a large role in driving an equitable recovery for New Yorkers hit hardest by COVID-19. Written and oral comments were submitted by Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) and CPR Members from Audre Lorde Project; Arab American Association of NY; Brooklyn Movement Center; Girls for Gender Equity; Jews for Racial and Economic Justice; and Justice Committee.

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Activists and elected officials question NYPD’s recent social distancing enforcement

05/21/2020

Amsterdam News

Last week, a group of Orthodox Jewish people gathered at a lot located at 55th Street between 14th and 15th avenues in Crown Heights to celebrate Lag B’Omer, a Jewish holiday. There were dozens in the area dancing, with loud music blaring and no masks being worn. They were openly flouting social distancing rules. Police officers eventually showed up and cleared the area without incident.

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May 13, 2020

Cut the NYPD Budget to Fund Recovery from COVID-19: Elected Officials and Police Accountability Advocates Call for NYPD Hiring Freeze, Smaller NYPD Budget, Redirection of Resources to City Agencies that Help Vulnerable New Yorkers

New York, NY – On a press call today, elected officials joined Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) and Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, to call for significant cuts to the NYPD’s nearly $6 billion bloated budget. Cuts to the NYPD's budget can fund a strong and equitable recovery from COVID-19, particularly for Black and other communities of color most impacted by the current pandemic, participants said.

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Half of Queens residents are white, but 90% of social distance arrests just this week were of people of color

05/08/2020

Business Insider

In the Queens borough of New York City, which is 47.9% white, police officers have arrested at least 20 people over social-distancing issues since May 3.

Out of those 20 people, 16 were black or Hispanic, two were Asian, and two were white, a representative for the Queens District Attorney's Office told Business Insider. That means 90% of those arrested were people of color.

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Half of all Brooklynites are white, but 97.5% of the borough's social distancing arrests were of people of color

05/08/2020

Business Insider

In the six weeks since March 17, police officers in Brooklyn have arrested 40 people for violating social-distancing rules.

Thirty-five of the people arrested were black and four Hispanic. Just one is white, even though 49.5% of Brooklyn residents are white, according to the US Census Bureau.

That means that 39 out of 40 — or 97.5% — of the arrests were for people of color.

All 40 cases have been dropped.

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