Press Room

"During his media availability today, the mayor continued to scapegoat migrants arriving in our city for his own failure to support policies that benefit New Yorkers. He denigrated immigrants and non-citizens as unworthy of basic rights. His rhetoric is as dangerous to our city as his leadership has been harmful. 

"The mayor has misled the city for years about the cost of aiding asylum seekers, but the cost of his misinformation is clear. Longtime New Yorkers should know that if leaders like this mayor supported the policies he now blames migrants for preventing, those leaders could have advanced them long before the first buses arrived. The money to fund these programs was there, the mayor's support wasn’t. We cannot allow people like the mayor to mislead and divide us on these issues. With the looming danger of the Trump presidency, and the mayor choosing to mimic rather than condemn it, we have to stand together to defend both the New Yorkers who have little and the ones who have less."

"I want to wish a bountiful Thanksgiving to all celebrating in New York City,  the homeland of the Lenape people.

"In a time of uncertainty, of existing challenges and looming fears, I feel it is especially important to reflect with gratitude and grace – not to ignore struggles, but to steel ourselves for them on the strength of our blessings. I am blessed with the opportunity to work to create a safer, more just, more affordable city.. I am grateful for  my family, friends, and my team.

"In his first Thanksgiving proclamation, President Lincoln called not only for a day of gratitude, but one to petition for 'inestimable blessings of peace, union, and harmony throughout the land.' I celebrate the holiday in that spirit, rather than the false presentation of its origins and the harm done to indigenous people.

"I hope that New Yorkers’ celebrations and your table are full; that we are able to spend time with those we hold dear. As we humbly consider all that which has given us strength, joy, and support this past year, we re-dedicate to supporting the most vulnerable New Yorkers in the coming year."

"The court has given the city and this administration numerous opportunities to follow recommendations of the monitor. Yet the city has shown again and again that it is unwilling or unable to make meaningful change on Rikers Island. This administration has insisted it can do so with bluster and arrogance, yet has never earned the confidence of New Yorkers.

"The administration has refused to implement measures earnestly or put forth a plan that would mitigate the crisis. With a federal receivership now likely, I am cautiously hopeful that a new approach can bring real reforms and help protect people on both sides of the bars.”

"Even as it seems necessary, I don’t celebrate this development — receivership is not a panacea, and comes with many of its own challenges, particularly in light of the incoming presidential administration. It is critical that any new oversight of the city’s jail systems is guided by a task force of advocates and experts who have long been involved in that work, and in developing solutions to failing systems, rather than trying to maintain them. It is just as critical that receivership helps accelerate, rather than impede, the moral and legal obligation to finally close Rikers. Ultimately, the most lasting way to prevent the harm on Rikers will be to close it down."

"Our city’s affordable housing crisis has been deepening for decades, and one proposal will not undo that damage. At the same time, I commend the New York City Council for advancing a revised plan that aims to address the urgent crisis at hand. I thank the Speaker and entire Council for their commitment to taking on this urgent issue, and working with Council Members to address their concerns.

"The $5 billion investment in affordable housing and infrastructure is an important achievement with the potential to have a lasting impact on our city, one that we have to ensure is realized. I am particularly encouraged by the flexible modifications included in this plan—such as adjustments to parking requirements and mandates for affordability—that will make it easier to build homes that meet the needs of our diverse communities, as well as its balanced investment in affordability, infrastructure, and the staffing of city agencies that will help ensure these plans are implemented efficiently and effectively. 

"Though the plan has worrying cracks and carve-outs, it is still an important step in the right direction as we look to address our city’s affordable housing crisis, and it’s critical to remember efforts like this can only be effective if paired with preservation, voucher expansion, and other measures. As my office continues to review the final plan and potential implementation, I remain committed to working closely with all stakeholders to ensure these investments translate into tangible, lasting improvements for New Yorkers."

"I want to wish Commissioner Tisch luck as she assumes this new role, after years of a varied and effective career in public service. I hope that she can, as the mayor said, bring the NYPD into the next century, using technology to increase transparency and efficiency. Our city is best served when public safety is prioritized, when the NYPD is supported in playing their role in that system without being asked to take lead in areas outside their expertise. This will also help support the majority of officers who work every single day with integrity, ready to respond to all manner of 911 calls. 

"With faster access to body-worn camera footage, with detailed data on stops and other enforcement, we can decrease unnecessary police encounters while increasing trust by strengthening accountability. Advancements in technology must also be paired with scrutiny of tools that are unjust or unproven in public safety.”

"In that spirit, I ask the incoming Commissioner to examine policies of her predecessors, and to commit to not repeating some of their most harmful practices, such as the abuses of the Stop, Question & Frisk tool, which I am concerned is increasing. No commissioner should be preventing the disciplinary processes from playing out, as others have, and needed reforms should be seen as progress rather than obstacles. 

"I look forward to partnering with the incoming Commissioner to help ensure New Yorkers both are safe and feel safe."

At a City Council hearing on efforts to address the dangers of subway surfing, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams called for a multi-faceted approach to prevention, one that centers youth engagement and does not rely solely on law enforcement. Subway surfing, which can lead to injury or death, has surged in popularity among young people as a result of social media trends.

“I often ask myself, would I listen to me as a young person? I’m not sure I have the full answer to that,” noted Public Advocate Williams, reflecting on the issue. “Although I never subway surfed, I did hang on to the train on the tracks, which was dangerous enough. And that was before platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, promoting videos of subway surfing. It’s just one of the many dangerous viral challenges that are proliferated on social media.”

This year there have been six deaths as a result of subway surfing, along with 181 arrests – with a 46% spike in arrests among young people. The Public Advocate stressed that while PSAs may have limited impact, enforcement cannot be the only tool used.

“I appreciate that the NYPD has a multifaceted approach here but I am concerned about the increased arrest of young people, especially when we consider many subway surfers are young enough to be in elementary or middle school,” he argued. “We know that children don’t have the same ability as adults to fully understand potential consequences of their actions. We also know that simply arrest and punishment don’t always have the deterrent effect on  individuals, particularly other population members who see the individual get arrested, it doesn't always change their behavior, which is what we actually want… So it is clear we must try additional ways to combat subway surfing.”

Among the other potential measures the Public Advocate proposed were infrastructure changes to make it physically harder to get on top of trains and community-level youth engagement, including in schools. 

Read the Public Advocate’s full statement as delivered below.  

STATEMENT OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS

TO THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEES ON EDUCATION, CHILDREN AND YOUTH, PUBLIC SAFETY, AND TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

NOVEMBER 18, 2024

Good morning,

My name is Jumaane D. Williams and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. Thank you Chairs Joseph, Stevens, Salaam, and Brooks-Powers and the Committee members for holding this hearing.

As was mentioned, this year alone, we lost six lives to subway surfing and even more have suffered injuries. This decades-old dangerous trend has surged in popularity in part due to social media. Though the city and the state have launched multiple strategies to prevent subway surfing, this behavior persists. I often ask myself, would I listen to me as a young person? I’m not sure I have the full answer to that. Although I never subway surfed, I did hang on to the train on the tracks, which was dangerous enough. And that was before platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, promoting videos of subway surfing. It’s just one of the many dangerous viral challenges that are proliferated on social media. 

Some attorneys general and families of victims have resorted to suing social media, rightfully so, for spreading dangerous trends. The city, state, and MTA have worked with these platforms to take down videos of subway surfing and spread the city’s “Ride Inside, Stay Alive” public service announcement campaign as seen on screens and posters, and heard via announcements throughout subway stations. I am happy that we’re trying to do something. 

I do know some experts say that the impact of PSAs alone are minimal on young people, who are more susceptible to peer pressure and less able to assess risks. Young people should be directed to an alternative exciting activity in addition to warning them against subway surfing—as Kevin Dahill-Fuchel, executive director of Counseling in Schools, said to Chalkbeat, “‘Just say no’ doesn’t work so much because you’re not saying what to say ‘yes’ to.” So far there’s been 181 arrests related to subway surfing this year, with arrests for young people spiking 46 percent. Police found that 25% of those arrested were arrested more than once, indicating that arresting people is not necessarily efficient and effective as a deterrent. 

The NYPD announced that, over the past year, they’ve deployed drones to combat subway surfing. They reported that 900 drones have saved an impressive 114 lives. What we don’t know and should get more information about is exactly where and how the drones are being used and what happens after a drone spots a subway surfer. It is important to pair transparency with the increased use of surveillance technology, especially considering the NYPD’s concerning history of surveilling New Yorkers. The NYPD needs to inform this body about what happens after a subway surfer is spotted, and how many subway surfing arrests involve the use of drones. I appreciate that the NYPD has a multifaceted approach here but I am concerned about the increased arrest of young people, especially when we consider many subway surfers are young enough to be in elementary or middle school.

We know that children don’t have the same ability as adults to fully understand potential consequences of their actions. We also know that simply arrest and punishment don’t always have the deterrent effect on individuals, particularly other population members who see the individual get arrested, it doesn't always change their behavior, which is what we actually want, and that’s just for adults and so it's probably a little less when it comes to young people. So it is clear we must try additional ways to combat subway surfing. We can make infrastructure investments that will make it physically harder to get on top of trains, like the open gangway trains currently running on the C line.

We must engage people at the community level, and young people, get their feedback as well,  who know the needs of their neighborhoods best and can recommend interventions specific to their communities. I do want to say whenever we have a problem like this, and we can’t figure it out, it often unfairly goes to the NYPD. So I’m glad to see that there are many agencies here today trying to work with everyone to figure this out. Hopefully the agencies that deal directly with young people are speaking directly with young people to try to get the information.  Sometimes kids need to hear from their peers. Schools are already engaging students in peer-to-peer messaging about the dangers of subway surfing, which should be happening in every school with students old enough to ride the subway by themselves. We must continue to expand resources for youth, including mental health treatment and safe, engaging after-school programs. I want to congratulate the council for holding a hearing on this important topic today and please add my name to all the Resos, thank you.

Thank you.