Right to Know Act

Experts weigh in on Bill de Blasio, grade mayor on his successes and failures two years into his term

Experts weigh in on Mayor de Blasio's performance 2 years in to his term.
12/26/2015
New York Daily News
Policing is still unfair: Mayor de Blasio pledges to "end the stop-and-frisk era" and ensure fairness in the policing of our neighborhoods have gone unfulfilled. While at first blush the diminished number of reported stops suggests reform, tens of thousands of law-abiding black and Latino New Yorkers remain disproportionately stopped and frisked, with over 80% of those stopped found to have done nothing. That's a lower total, but discriminatory policing persists.

Activists Call Bratton 'Dictatorial' for Opposing Police Reform Bill

11/19/2015
Black Star News

Commissioner Bratton excoriated on opposition to police reform legistaltion in City Council

In response to comments NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton made at a Harvard Club breakfast November 17, Communities United for Police Reform released the following statement from spokesperson Monifa Bandele.

Democracy and legislative oversight may be inconvenient for Mr. Bratton’s dictatorial wants, but as the appointee of an elected official within that system of government he must respect them.

One Year After the Eric Garner Non-Indictment, Has Anything Changed?

12/04/2015
Vice

On Thursday exactly a year ago, New York City was practically on fire. The startling decision last December 3 by a grand jury to not indict Daniel Pantaleo, the police officer behind the videotaped death of Eric Garner, blew the lid off a razzled metropolis whose citizens were already familiar with police brutality and discrimination. By then, of course, protests had spread across the country, due to the nearly concurrent decision with Michael Brown's case in Ferguson. In New York, as in Missouri, the anger was palpable—like you could reach out and touch it. And it stayed that way, for a while.

For immediate release:
November 17, 2015

Police Reform Campaign Responds to NYPD Commissioner Bratton’s Attack on City Council Members Supporting Reform

In response to comments NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton made at a Harvard Club breakfast this morning, Communities United for Police Reform released the following statement from spokesperson Monifa Bandele.

“Democracy and legislative oversight may be inconvenient for Mr. Bratton’s dictatorial wants, but as the appointee of an elected official within that system of government he must respect them.

How to Build the Movement for Progressive Power, the Urban Way

 Four local politicians share their ideas for humanizing the “gig economy,” reforming the police, protecting immigrant rights, and solving the municipal budget crisis.
10/27/2015
The Nation

 As the gears of federal government have ground to a halt, a new energy has been rocking the foundations of our urban centers. From Atlanta to Seattle and points in between, cities have begun seizing the initiative, transforming themselves into laboratories for progressive change. Cities Rising is The Nation’s chronicle of those urban experiments.

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CPR Campaign Updates: NYers Say: Pass the Right To Know Act & Demand #HandsOffTheHomeless!

The highly publicized NYPD brutality against Black athletes has brought fresh spotlight to hyper-aggressive policing and use of excessive force by our city's police department. But New Yorkers in communities across the city frequently experience this police abuse without the same response from City Hall and 1 Police Plaza. It's a reason we continue our work to make NYC safer by holding police accountable to all New Yorkers and advancing systemic reforms that can help end abusive and discriminatory policing. We are gaining momentum in our fight and remain undeterred by NYPD media announcements that seek to quell demands for real, lasting reforms rather than deliver substantive changes for our communities.

James Blake Got An Apology From The NYPD, But Families Of Other Victims Are Still Waiting

"Black lives matter. Latino lives matter. Non-celebrity lives matter. It's high time the city acknowledged that."
09/23/2015
Huffington Post

NEW YORK -- The violent and wrongful arrest of tennis star James Blake in New York City earlier this month prompted swift apologies from Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner William Bratton. Blake also got the chance to meet privately with the two officials to discuss policing reforms.

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