Press Room

"The injustice we have seen in recent days in Tennessee comes at an intersection of American failures – structural racism, punishing protest, and a willingness to wash our hands in response to unending, unspeakable violence.

"The backlash to this nonviolent act of civil disobedience, and who faced harshest consequences, shows it's never about the means of demonstration, but rather demonizing the identity and cause of those raising their voices. But protest is meant to disrupt. Protest is meant to draw attention to and drive change on systemic injustices. And in their initial act of protest, in spotlighting and condemning the racist, undemocratic response, these expelled public servants have achieved a great deal. 

"The initial ‘offense’ of these legislators was to demand action to prevent gun violence in the wake of yet another horrific shooting. It is my hope that by expressing dual outrage at conservatives’ inaction on guns and authoritarian reaction to being called out for it, we can direct our anger into progress."

"The administration’s latest 'Program to Eliminate the Gap' will only deepen the deficit of vital city services.

"How can we justify further cuts to agencies when the city workforce is already drastically understaffed and services are suffering as a result? Four percent is not an abstract figure – it means real reductions in things like safe housing inspectors, shelter staff, sanitation workers, civil rights attorneys. It means New Yorkers get 4% less effective government and services than they deserve. Last year’s "savings" have already cost a city reeling from pandemic-era staffing reductions, and further cuts will only deepen the damage and undercut the effort to stabilize our city and its economy. All of these proposed cuts come from an administration that refuses to support additional revenue raising measures which could help to provide that stability.

"The goal of the current city budget process should be preserving and strengthening the programs in place, not further slashing them. Long term austerity is not the answer, and our city’s commitment to meeting the needs of New Yorkers cannot be in question."

"Chag Kasher V’Sameach to the Jewish community as the celebration of Passover begins - I wish a happy and kosher holiday to all.

"Through the story of the Israelites’ strength and perseverance through suffering, Passover reminds us that with hope, with resolve, any obstacle can be overcome. There are many seemingly incessant obstacles in this moment, including hatred and anti-Semitism we must unite to oppose.

"In sharing the ancient story, in sharing sacred traditions, we await the miracle of full redemption - ever progressing, moving forward, pursuing deliverance from our bonds and our tormentors. In the spirit of Passover, any obstacle can be overcome - with hope and resolve in equal measure.

"May everyone observing have a peaceful and meaningful Passover. Chag Sameach."

"As the disgraced former president faces his first arraignment for his many alleged crimes, the people calling his indictment an injustice and attacking District Attorney Bragg are among the same who called the District Attorney ‘soft on crime’ for his efforts to combat mass incarceration. The people claiming that this process is unreasonable or unfair to Donald Trump are among the same fighting even now to claw back bail reform and incarcerate more low-income Black and Brown New Yorkers.

"This outrage on behalf of Donald Trump makes it clear that their real goal is upholding a two-tiered system where whiter and wealthier defendants benefit at the expense of historically marginalized communities. Imagine if they had the same outrage on behalf of the thousands of New Yorkers held pre-trial, sometimes for years, on Rikers Island. Imagine if the same passion had been brought in defense of the wrongly-accused former Central Park Five as is being brought for the man who argued they should be executed.

"Trump is playing the victim, while in reality exercising privilege, power, and protections that no other defendant has, in a selfish and cruel action at the expense of others.

"Placing the former president above the law while working to change it in ways which harm the less privileged and powerful is a greater threat to public safety than any they claim to combat."

"This is not a day of triumph, except for the rule of law which governs all of us, including disgraced former presidents. I commend Manhattan District Attorney Bragg for courageously leading a thorough investigation to this point.

"Donald Trump must be held accountable. Not only for the financial charges he’s been indicted on today, but for his efforts to undermine our democracy, which are still under investigation and which still reverberate dangerously throughout our country. We will now undoubtedly see conservative hypocrisy, lies, and dangerous rhetoric as some put not only party, but person, over the well-being of our country and the people within it.

"Today’s indictment is part of a process that will continue to move forward, uninhibited by the former President’s attacks or incitements to action, and unwavering in a commitment to justice for the unprecedented conduct of Donald Trump in his efforts to grab and hold onto power and relevance at the expense of any and all."

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams pushed to pass his police accountability bills at a hearing of the City Council Committee on Public Safety. He spoke in support of his legislation to expedite access to body camera footage and report on NYPD vehicle stops, as well as his bill to require transparency on all levels of police-civilian encounters, part of the How Many Stops Act.

“Every day, New Yorkers are stopped by the NYPD. Sometimes, this results in a search—a level three stop, where an officer has legal authority to detain someone and prevent them from leaving, colloquially known as “stop-and-frisk.” The NYPD is required to report on these stops, so we know that Black and Brown people are disproportionately stopped: Black and Latinx New Yorkers made up 91 percent of reported stops as of 2020…” said Public Advocate Williams in support of the How Many Stops Act. “We still, however, do not have the full picture of who is being stopped by the NYPD, as they are not currently required to report on level one and level two stops. Despite being lower-level stops, the feeling of being stopped, questioned, and possibly searched by police is indistinguishable from the experience of level three stops.”

Intro 586, one half of the How Many Stops Act, would would require the NYPD to report on all levels of police stops and encounters, including the location where they happened, the demographic information of those stopped, the factors that led to the interaction, and whether the encounter leads to any use of force or enforcement action. The act builds upon the Community Safety Act of 2013, which helped to address the abuses of stop, question, and frisk, and put in place an Inspector General for the NYPD. This new legislation also expands on the Right to Know Act passed in 2017.

Public Advocate Williams is also the prime sponsor of Intro 781, which would require the NYPD to include in vehicle encounter reports the justification used by an officer to conduct a vehicle stop, if an observed offense was cited as the justification for a vehicle stop, and whether the offense was at the level of an infraction, violation, misdemeanor or felony. With the New York Civil Liberties Union reporting that in 2022, 49 percent of drivers arrested following traffic stops were Black, and 39 percent were Latinx, this bill is an important tool for understanding the scope of and reasons for stops, as well as combating any persistent patterns of bias or injustice.

The Public Advocate further discussed the need to increase transparency surrounding the body-worn camera footage by passing Intro 585, which would require the NYPD to share all body-worn camera footage with the Department of Investigation’s Inspector General for the NYPD and the Department of Records and Information Services within 5 days of the recording. Public Advocate Williams is the co-prime sponsor of a related bill from Speaker Adrienne Adams, Intro 938, to require the NYPD to provide the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) with direct access to all footage recorded by officer body-worn cameras.

“In addition to underreporting on stops, the NYPD has historically shirked responsibility when it comes to granting access to body-worn camera footage,” argued the Public Advocate. “This lack of compliance with requests for access to body-worn camera footage seriously impedes investigations by oversight agencies, including the CCRB and the Department of Investigation’s OIG-NYPD. The NYPD has falsely denied that footage exists, or refused to turn over footage, citing embellished privacy issues, and have been generally slow to respond to requests.”

He closed saying that “We have seen time and time again that there is systemic bias still existing, and that the NYPD have consistently impeded any effort to hold them accountable by oversight agencies, elected officials, and members of the community. Increasing police presence in our communities will never increase public safety when the people in those communities only associate police with trauma, fear, discrimination, and abuse.”

The Public Advocate’s full statement to the committee is below. Read more about Intros 586, 781, and 585 here.

STATEMENT OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS

TO THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY

MARCH 27, 2023

Good afternoon,

My name is Jumaane D. Williams, and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. I would like to thank Chair Hanks and the members of the Committee on Public Safety for holding this important hearing and for hearing my bills. I also want to thank the Speaker for being present, and align myself with her statements. We often talk about some improvements that have occurred, but I do know and always say that the two buckets, as the Speaker mentioned, that haven’t seen any movement at all in my opinion are transparency and accountability.

Every day, New Yorkers are stopped by the NYPD. Sometimes, this results in a search—a level three stop, where an officer has legal authority to detain someone and prevent them from leaving, colloquially known as “stop-and-frisk.” The NYPD is required to report on these stops, so we know that Black and Brown people are disproportionately stopped: Black and Latinx New Yorkers made up 91 percent of reported stops as of 2020. Motor vehicle stop data for 2022 revealed similar disparities. The NYPD also disproportionately frisked and used force against Black and Latinx people. As we have seen all too often, these stops can escalate quickly to violent or even deadly situations.

We still, however, do not have the full picture of who is being stopped by the NYPD, as they are not currently required to report on level one and level two stops. Despite being lower-level stops, the feeling of being stopped, questioned, and possibly searched by police is indistinguishable from the experience of level three stops. That is why I have introduced Intro 0586-2022, which would require the NYPD to report on all levels of police stops and encounters, including the location where they happened, the demographic information of those stopped, the factors that led to the interaction, and whether the encounter leads to any use of force or enforcement action.

According to the New York Civil Liberties Union, in 2022, 49 percent of drivers arrested following traffic stops were Black, and 39 percent were Latinx. I have introduced Intro 0781-2022, which would require the NYPD to include in vehicle encounter reports the justification used by an officer to conduct a vehicle stop, if an observed offense was cited as the justification for a vehicle stop, and whether the offense was at the level of an infraction, violation, misdemeanor or felony. In order to effectively address racial bias in policing, we need to know the full scope of the problem—and in a time where Mayor Adams has resurrected the NYPD’s notorious Street Crime Unit, now called Neighborhood Safety Teams, this information is crucial. 

In addition to underreporting on stops, the NYPD has historically shirked responsibility when it comes to granting access to body-worn camera footage. This lack of compliance with requests for access to body-worn camera footage seriously impedes investigations by oversight agencies, including the CCRB and the Department of Investigation’s OIG-NYPD. The NYPD has falsely denied that footage exists, or refused to turn over footage, citing embellished privacy issues, and have been generally slow to respond to requests. While many other cities give their police oversight bodies direct access to body-worn camera footage, New York City does not, causing delays and roadblocks in the CCRB and OIG-NYPD’s investigations. These delays deny justice for victims of police abuse and brutality, and increase New Yorkers’ fear and distrust of the police.

My bill, Intro 0585-2022, and a bill I have sponsored with Speaker Adams, Intro 0938-2023, seek to increase and expedite oversight agencies’ access to body-worn camera footage. Intro 585 would require the NYPD to share all body-worn camera footage with OIG-NYPD and the Department of Records and Information Services within 5 days of the recording. Intro 938 would grant the CCRB direct access to all footage recorded by officer body-worn cameras. The CCRB would have real-time connectivity to network servers hosting digital files of body-worn camera footage, allowing them to search, view, and use files for the purpose of investigating and prosecuting allegations of police misconduct. 

We have seen time and time again that there is systemic bias still existing, and that the NYPD have consistently impeded any effort to hold them accountable by oversight agencies, elected officials, and members of the community. Increasing police presence in our communities will never increase public safety simply by itself when the people in those communities only associate police with trauma, fear, discrimination, and abuse. I look forward to working with the City Council, the CCRB, and OIG-NYPD to ensure that the NYPD complies with the bills we are hearing today.

I did want to also say that it’s important to talk about the disparity in these stops, and, I also mention, the disparity of violence that occurs in Black and Brown communities – often the latter is the excuse for the former. However, this is the same thing I heard ten years ago. And so if the response was supposed to solve the disparity in violence in our communities, it has not. It has never. It will never.

We are clear that there has to be some police activity due to certain things that are going on- yet we are clear that the overuse of policing will never solve these problems. Ten years we’ve been saying this. Black and Brown people have been shot and killed and harmed, and for ten years we’ve seen overpolicing, and it’s still the same disparity. So I’m hoping that in having these discussions, we don’t get the same pushback we always get, because it doesn’t help keep our communities safe.

What we’re asking for is simple changes. The Mayor, Eric Adams, was involved in actually getting the initial information we needed to get on these stops, now that we have it I’m hoping he’ll join us in this as well, and we can get forward to talking about the real issues of public safety and what police involvement is, as well as other agencies.  

Thank you.