Press Room

After Council Member Inna Vernikov displayed a firearm at a protest yesterday, and as demonstrations continue citywide amid the violence in the Middle East, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams released the following statement:

"In this moment of tragedy and grief overseas and in our city, we must make room for one another’s grief and humanity, and provide space and support for people to cry out in their personal and cultural pain.

"Council Member Vernikov carrying and showing off a weapon as a tool of intimidation and seeming threat of violence against protesters shows a dangerous dereliction of our duty as elected officials to help New Yorkers be and feel safe. We are relieved that she has now been charged for this action and surrendered her permit.

"It also shows the volatile conditions in our city. So many people are afraid in our city today: Jewish and Israeli New Yorkers, Palestinian and Muslim New Yorkers, and New Yorkers who want to express their support for the people closest to this pain. That fear compounds with grief, and with every story about incidents or threats of violence.

"We have an obligation to protect the rights and safety of protesters and worshippers, without over-policing either. Most of us in New York do not have the direct ability to end violence overseas, but we must do what we can, with what we have, to comfort our  neighbors and prevent escalation in our city."

"No words I can say will shape or stop the endless cycles of violence in Israel and Palestine, and few come amid this unspeakable massacre. I vehemently condemn the attacks on innocent civilians by Hamas that have stolen the lives of so many, and I mourn with the New Yorkers and people worldwide who see this senseless death and feel this loss as their own.

"I see the inhumanity of slaughter, and can be guided only by the humanity of grief. Borders and backgrounds do not determine or define humanity, and grief looks the same across them all. Pain looks the same. Death looks the same. And as it has for decades, pain and death will only continue in the region, escalated exponentially in the wake of this attack.

"Political alignment cannot be a filter against compassion, outrage, or horror in the face of carnage. Rallies in the immediate aftermath of attacks that seemingly glorify deaths, like the one in Times Square, were unseemly, ill-placed and repugnant. Many of the responses in our city to unspeakable violence overseas have been to speak in rash, reactionary, and dehumanizing ways, where compassion is determined by creed. I understand the emotions that drive these responses, but they too can be dangerous.

"Massacre of innocent people is indefensible. War is not something to egg on. Death is not something to excuse. Oppression is not something to overlook. As I write this, unspeakable harm and violence is being wrought on innocent people in Gaza caught in cycles of violence.

"We can, we have to be able to, at once grieve the hundreds of innocent lives taken in Israel, and oppose the escalating violence of retaliation, the endless war, the systemic violence and oppression of Palestinians too often ignored, excused, or condoned. I refuse to believe that it is impossible to express all of these sentiments, and I believe that in grief, we must provide space and support for people to cry out in their personal and cultural pain. Particularly in a city of great diversity and constituencies we are honored to represent, that is the space that is needed, that our leaders should be building. Doing so will always invite criticism, but ultimately be the best and only way to see progress. 

"I understand the seeming impossibility of that effort, yet I urge us all to recognize humanity even in opponents —conflict looks different, war looks different, through a lens of humanity. Through that lens, peace must be the only goal.

"Violence begets violence, and only peace can overcome it. I pray for comfort in this moment, an end to both the immediate and the underlying violence, and somehow, for lasting peace."

"I am relieved to see the Supreme Court reject this challenge to rent stabilization, an unconscionable effort by landlords to further put profit over people and exacerbate the housing and homelessness crisis. Even with a Rent Guidelines Board that under this mayoral administration has inexplicably continued to raise rents in an affordability crisis, our rent stabilization system and the protections that come with it are invaluable and indispensable.

"With two similar cases still pending, I remain wary, and hope that the Court will reject these challenges, which would undo decades of precedent and ultimately force countless New Yorkers from their homes in a city that already has the highest rents in the nation."

"I urge New Yorkers to follow basic precautions as the dangerous flooding conditions continue – especially to avoid travel and to move to higher floors where possible. This emergency is ongoing.

"From orange skies to flooded streets, a pattern is becoming clear – the administration has been delayed and insufficient in using the most effective tools in notifying New Yorkers about extreme weather emergencies which are only increasing in frequency. With schools opening only to immediately close, with roads rapidly closing and transit lines shutting down, it's clear that there have been gaps in the city’s early rapid response to this storm, and those inadequacies can only be corrected if they are acknowledged. Notifying the public as soon as possible, and in real time is key. While the city’s social media updates are helpful, larger rapid response tactics like a mayoral press conference and notifications from Notify NYC before the storm began would be a more effective way toward reaching the masses to ensure folks are able to plan accordingly, and may have kept people off the roads during the morning rush.

"To the administration’s credit it does appear that there was a plan for city agencies in place behind the scenes that activated quickly and appropriately. Still, it is vitally important for New Yorkers to see the Mayor speak to that plan in advance of– not just in the midst of– an emergency.

"In general, neither our city’s physical or communications infrastructure are keeping up with the climate crisis and the dangerous conditions it will continue to create. It’s critically important that as climate change continues to impact communities across the city, we have a larger conversation and comprehensive, tiered strategy to better prepare for a future of more frequent and severe storms."

"I wish an easy and meaningful fast, G'mar chatima tova, to everyone preparing for Yom Kippur this evening.

"Yom Kippur is the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. It is the Day of Atonement, when we both ask forgiveness for ourselves and grant it to others. This call to atone echoes in our lives and communities, urging that we lift one another up in the year ahead. Today and moving forward in the new year, let us carry compassion and empathy as we acknowledge the experiences and challenges of those around us, and grant one another forgiveness in the face of our failings. We are all facing challenges, often unknown to one another, and by extending grace, tolerance, and mercy, we draw closer to our fellow neighbor and to G-d.

"Reconciliation is critical on the path toward healing. May G-d bestow blessings, mercy and absolution on all seeking redemption, and may we all be sealed in the Book of Life."

"I applaud the Biden-Harris administration for establishing the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. This is an issue so pressing and pervasive that it demands focused action from the highest reaches of our government.

“As the office takes shape, I urge the administration to center its strategies on the kind of holistic, community-driven violence prevention approach that President Biden witnessed during his visit to New York City last year, the kind I’ve promoted since my time as co-Chair of the Task Force to Combat Gun Violence a decade ago. In New York, our similar citywide office has found success and saved lives by embracing and investing in strategies that take on both the supply of guns that enables violence in our neighborhoods and the demand that drives it by investing in changing underlying conditions in those neighborhoods. I have long pushed for collaboration across all levels of government on this issue, which should be a mandate of this new office.

“At this moment, I’m joining federal elected officials in Washington for the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference. I hope that this announcement spurs overdue, common sense action from Congress to provide resources and relief for communities devastated by this ongoing epidemic of gun violence.”