Press Room

"Twenty years after the attacks of September 11, the memories, the pain, the devastating impact of unimaginable loss remains heavy on our city and our nation's minds, our hearts, our history.

"That was nearly half my lifetime ago, and after all that time, I still vividly recall the fear, the uncertainty, the disbelief and profound loss our city felt - the scale of the devastation that was witnessed. The sense of panic as I briefly struggled to find and speak with family. The unimaginable sadness and grief felt by those who never did. An environment of desperation and pain clouded our city together with the smoke and ash. Twenty years, but I remember it like yesterday.

"And I remember from that collective despair came an environment of collective empathy, of resolve, of support for and from our fellow New Yorkers and our fellow Americans. I hope that twenty years later, we can summon that common spirit and direct it toward common good.

"I pray all who lost loved ones to the attacks have found some measure of healing and peace, remembering not only those who were killed on that day, but all, especially first responders, who still suffer from the health effects of its aftermath. We must provide them not only with gratitude, not only with empathy, but with aid.

"After two decades, as we did in the wake of the attacks, New York moves forward in strength and in solidarity, but each of us carries our own memories of the day and the memories of all who were killed. Recovery means remembering - the collective trauma of this tragedy remains, and we must continue to comfort those in mourning, support those in need, and remember those we lost."

NEW YORK: Today, Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams introduced a City Council resolution in support of the Clean Slate Act, state legislation that would automatically seal conviction records after someone has completed their sentence, is off of parole or probation, has not incurred any new charges or convictions in New York State during the waiting period, and the conviction to be sealed is not a sex offense - after a period of three years for a misdemeanor and seven for a felony conviction.

"A past criminal offense, no matter how far back in one's personal history or how much they've changed since then, serves as an permanent impediment in many spaces and denies people the opportunity to move on, to improve their lives and communities," said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. "While we work to reduce contact with the criminal justice system, and provide alternatives to incarceration, it is absolutely vital that once someone's sentence is served, they have full and fair opportunity to participate in society without burdens and barriers to prevent that. By sealing old records, we can provide a clean slate, reduce recidivism, and give people a second - or very often a first - chance. I urge the City to pass this resolution in support of these efforts, and the state legislature and Governor to move quickly to pass the Clean Slate Act."

The Clean Slate Act, sponsored by Assembly Member Catalina Cruz and State Senator Zellnor Myrie, is cosponsored by 42 Assembly Members and 20 State Senators. In 2017, the state enacted legislation which made 600,000 eligible to have their records sealed through an application process, but only 2,500 have completed this process as a result of unnecessary barriers. The Clean Slate Act makes this process automatic, rather than initiated by the applicant.

The presence of a criminal record frequently hinders formerly incarcerated people from obtaining employment, housing, and education. This makes the re-entry transition difficult and increases the risk for recidivism. Recent research indicates that a year following their record being cleared, people are 11 percent more likely to be employed, and earn wages more than 20 percent greater than prior to records being cleared. Additionally, greater employment access for formerly incarcerated individuals strengthens economic growth. According to new polling, a significant majority of New Yorkers support this legislation.

This resolution in support of the Legislature passing, and Governor signing, the Clean Slate Act is part of the Public Advocate's ongoing work to ease re-entry and prevent recidivism for formerly incarcerated individuals, including through the passage of the Fair Chance Act of 2015, which prevented asking job applicants about criminal history prior to a conditional offer of employment, and the 2020 expansion of that law. He is currently working to pass Intro 1881, which would help formerly incarcerated individuals successfully pursue education and employment opportunities by providing them with several official identification documents upon release.

"We are grateful that the Public Advocate has introduced this resolution calling on Albany to finish what they started and pass the Clean Slate Act," said Garrett Smith, Statewide Organizer at Center for Community Alternatives. This legislation transcends politics -- it is a moral imperative. The impact of the criminal legal system does not end once someone returns home from prison. In New York, a conviction record means a lifetime of blocked opportunities from housing, employment and education. The state must end this cycle of perpetual punishment by passing the Clean Slate Act, which would seal conviction records and provide more than 2 million New Yorkers the second chance they deserve."

"For far too long, communities of color in New York have suffered from the perpetual punishment of having a criminal record," said Zaki Smith, Policy Entrepreneur at the Next100. "Our communities have been serving a life sentence without being sentenced to one. Our debt has been paid. It is time that we be able to move on with our lives. We applaud Public Advocate Jumaane Williams for introducing this resolution and call on state lawmakers to act on Clean Slate immediately."

"The Clean Slate Act will provide automatic sealing of criminal convictions for millions of New Yorkers and is a critical step towards repairing the harm caused by decades of over-policing and underinvestment in communities of color in the Bronx," said Scott Levy, Chief Policy Counsel at The Bronx Defenders.  "The resolution introduced today by the Public Advocate sends a strong message that New York City stands firmly behind speedy passage of the Clean Slate Act and ensuring that criminal conviction records don't stand in the way of people accessing safe and stable housing, employment, and education.  In this moment of national reckoning, the Clean Slate Act represents an investment in the Bronx's future, in its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and in its resilience."

"Stale conviction records needlessly stand in the way of finding a good job, a license to practice a trade and a stable place to live for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers," said David Jones, President and CEO of the Community Service Society of New York.  "Records sealing under the Clean Slate New York Act is essential to ensuring that New Yorkers move beyond the perpetual punishment a conviction record creates, and have a place in New York's pandemic recovery and in the life of our great city and state. We commend the New York City Council for supporting this vital legislation."

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams released the following statement after meeting with victims of Hurricane Ida flooding in Queens today and ahead of an appearance by President Biden at the site of the disaster.

"As I spoke to New Yorkers again today who were devastated by last week's flooding - still grieving, still reeling from the scope of the damage - it was clear that while this disaster was natural, the reasons for much of the devastation it wrought were systemic, exacerbated by a failure to adapt our infrastructure or policies to the realities of both the climate crisis and the housing crisis.  

"So much of the loss our city saw last week, losses that many New Yorkers will feel for months and years to come, was suffered in basement apartments. Basement units are a critical component of meeting the need for housing stock in our city, but it is just as critical that government acts quickly to legalize, regulate, and protect these units and the countless tenants who call them home - including with proper warnings in times of crisis. The Mayor's announcement that he will not further penalize homeowners and their basement tenants with fines at this time is an essential preliminary step, and I appreciate his receptiveness to that need.  

"I am grateful that President Biden has issued a major disaster declaration and is providing the aid that designation entails. Right now, the focus is rightly on recovery - but in the immediate future, we need to direct attention and resources toward prevention, toward upgrading our infrastructure and protecting our neighbors and our homes. With the federal government allocating additional resources to our city and state in disaster response, it is crucial that funds be distributed to homeowners in order to legalize their basement units while maintaining lower rents for tenants who have already lost so much."

"Shana Tova U'Metukah, a happy and sweet new year, to all in the Jewish community who will begin celebrating Rosh Hashanah this evening.

"On Rosh Hashanah the sound of the shofar echoes, calling us to practice Teshuva, to reflect and renew. The past year has often been one of hardship and loss, but we now have an opportunity to recover, to protect ourselves and our communities, and to recognize the good we have seen in our neighbors while exemplifying it ourselves. We have the chance to advance on the path of self improvement, and be sealed in the Book of Life.

"Ah gut gebentsht yohr to everyone celebrating the arrival of 5782 - may it be a year of healing, of peace, and of joy for our families, friends, and communities."

"Today we recognize and celebrate laborers, working people, and the movements driven by working people throughout our history, whether in centuries past or in recent years. From the 40 hour work week, to minimum wages, to paid sick leave, progress has been driven and demanded by working people organizing together, unionizing, to build power. We celebrate victories won, values championed, and work well done.

"Ordinarily in New York City, we would also be celebrating the West Indian Day Parade out on the Parkway, honoring Caribbean heritage in the largest annual gathering our city sees. Of course this year, that celebration has been altered in size, scope, and execution as we continue to do all that we can keep each other safe as the Delta variant circulates. As someone who has proudly taken to the Parkway for decades, I understand both the desire to celebrate and the imperative to do so safely. I urge New Yorkers to to bring the spirit of the parade, if not the sights and sounds, to their own smaller celebrations.

"This Labor Day, I'm thinking about the essential workers who have put themselves at risk over the last year and a half to keep us safe and combat this pandemic. We owe it to them, to each other, to honor that work and sacrifice by getting vaccinated, adhering to CDC guidelines, and staying safe in celebration today."

"This is a catastrophic tragedy - to the families of all of the New Yorkers we have lost, we mourn with you today. To the people across our city who have lost so much in these waters, who are facing the immense damage in the aftermath of the storm, know that your city, state, and federal government are here for you. My office is here to help to ensure that the focus, the resources, and the financial support for homeowners and all facing damage remain long after the storm has passed, and that we keep our commitment to help.

"I thank all of the city workers repairing and responding in the streets right now, thank the Mayor and Governor for their cooperation and collaboration, thank New Yorkers for all they've done to keep each other safe, and ask for all of their partnership in the work to come.

"Each time there is an extreme storm in the city, one that overruns our systems and our streets, one that puts New Yorkers' safety and security at risk, we hear that it's 'once in a decade, or once in a generation, or once in 500 years...' I've heard it once too often. Those statements simply aren't true anymore. What we used to call extreme, outlier events are now just storms which have become a new normal, a result of our failure to combat climate change and prepare for its effects.

"Right now, our focus is rightly on making sure New Yorkers stay safe in the aftermath of this crisis and repairing the damage it caused, but we need to keep this level of emergency and crisis response- in overhauling our systems which were already failing, investing in green infrastructure to replace them, drastically enhancing our resiliency and preparation, readying our emergency response systems and the agencies managing them to be proactive rather than reactive, and advancing climate policy that could mitigate future harm. There are things we can repair in the wake of this flooding, but there has also been loss that we can never make up for, we can only work to prevent it from happening again."