Press Room

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams released the following statement in celebration of Juneteenth.

"I travel around the city today as we celebrate the American holiday Juneteenth with the knowledge that while this country has seen progress, we are yet to be truly free. The signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 should have granted people of African descent in the United States rights and privileges that still have yet to be fully  realized so we, people of all races in all corners of the world, march together more than 150 years later to fight the system that continues to deny us the freedom, equity and dignity afforded those who are truly free. 

"This country is literally built on the bodies of enslaved Africans and its wealth and privilege is born of the sweat of their brows and the blood they shed. From Tulsa to Wall Street the evidence is clear that their purpose was never supposed to be of advancement for them, but sacrificial and supportive to the people who were the real focus of the words 'We The People.' There are no longer slave patrols, but there are disparate policing practices and systems that take our lives, whether in homes with a deadly virus or in the street with our face to the concrete and a man's knee on our necks.  These are not comfortable times, they are not supposed to be, because change can be slow and agonizing.

"With the privilege I have as a cisgender straight man who is a citywide leader there is a mandate to act,  and I will use the tools available to me to join others in the fight to defeat racism, bigotry, discrimination and hate. We are not collectively yet totally free from this system of privilege, but like the ancestors, we will celebrate Juneteenth because our freedom - as it was intended - is coming. As a nation seems to be waking up to the importance of this holiday, we will continue to push in an effort to create the transformational changes, the freedoms, promised 150 years ago but not yet received.

"We will persevere and we will prevail."

The New York City Council passed legislation today from Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams that would codify and protect the right of civilians to record police officer activity. The vote to pass this bill, first introduced in 2016, comes after video of a Minneapolis police officer killing George Floyd has spurred a national movement for an end to policing injustice and videos taken at these protests have shown further officer misconduct.

Int. 721-B or the Right to Record Act would codify into local law a person's right to record New York City police officers or peace officers acting in their official capacity, from a safe distance. The bill, co-sponsored by Council Member Helen Rosenthal, also allows any individual whose rights are violated to sue the City in state court, and requires reporting related to filming police activities. It would create the possibility for for a judge to issue punitive damages to victims, further deterring interference with the protected right to record.

The legislation came after a number of prominent instances when civilians' right to record was deliberately infringed. It would requires the Commissioner to issue quarterly reports of arrests and summons issued when persons record police activity, came after a number of prominent instances when civilians' right to record was deliberately infringed.

"From George Floyd to Eric Garner, we have seen a near constant stream of video of police misconduct for several years. While these videos are often painful, they are also crucial," said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. "Again and again, we see that video evidence is one of the only ways to have a chance at accountability for officer misconduct. But again and again, we also see officers attempting to infringe on the right to record, and the transparency that comes with it, blocking attempts penalizing people who exercise this right. Because of the advocates who pushed for this legislation for years, and the protesters who demonstrated both its need and its urgency, we can finally combat those abuses. By codifying this right in city law, we further protect the ability for the public to provide transparency and demand accountability."

The Public Advocate has spoken in recent days about the critical role video has played in officer accountability surrounding the recent protests, highlighting that without video evidence, eyewitness accounts of officer misconduct are dismissed, and that even with video present, people in power - including the Mayor and Governor - have sought to deny this action. At a Council hearing on the Right to Record Act, he stated "I used my own phone to record incidents that were not believed. Imagine if they were not. Imagine if we were not aware. Would justice be sought?" He also testified on this issue at a Wednesday hearing by New York State Attorney General Letitia James.

The Right to Record Act passed as part of a broad package of police reform legislation within the City Council today. The Public Advocate said of the bills "I congratulate the Council on passing these crucial pieces of legislation today that will help all New Yorkers, both community members and the multitude of officers who come to work to truly serve the community. I am glad they gained new attention, consideration, and urgency amid this national moment of reckoning, but these bills are not the end of that moment. Next we must reckon with our very definition of public safety, which does not equate with policing, and how we can make that definition a reality in our systems."

In New York City, there have been numerous instances in which people were prevented from or retaliated against for recording officer actions. From 2014 to 2016, the Civilian Complaint Review Board investigated 257 complaints involving officers interfering with video recording. Most of the complaints involved officers using physical interference to prevent the recordings. There has also been extensive anecdotal reporting of such instances, including the prevention of journalists from documenting police activity in the recent protests.

"New York City residents have a fundamental constitutional right to document their interactions with local law enforcement in public spaces -- using photos, video or other means. The Right to Record Act reaffirms our First Amendment rights, helping to ensure that civilians who record police activity are not harassed or otherwise stopped, and I'm proud to have co-sponsored it with Public Advocate Williams. Since the bill's introduction in 2016, we have seen countless, tragic instances in which a video recording made a profound difference in the fight against police brutality," said Council Member Helen Rosenthal (Manhattan, District 6).

"For decades police brutality against Black and brown New Yorkers has been an issue. And in response, hundreds and thousands of New Yorkers have made complaints on instances where NYPD officers abuse their authority. Well, today not much has changed today. For far too long, we've experienced a lack of accountability and leadership that allowed police officers to lie and give false statements about their own or witnessed misconduct," said Chair of the Committee on Public Safety Council Member Donovan Richards. "The Right-to-Record bill prevents NYPD officers from block civilians' First Amendment rights. Every New Yorker has the right to record police activity without physical force, intimidation, destruction and confiscation of property. The public wants to know what's going and we have that right to know. We want to ensure that in increasing accountability and transparency, New Yorkers are protected under the law. Community leaders and members should continue recording police activity to show the realities that Black and brown New Yorkers face. A reality that is not always reflected in the one-sided body camera footage that protect abusive officers."

"This legislation is a long time coming. We've seen far too many cases of police officers interfering what is an existing First Amendment right," said First Deputy Public Advocate Nick E. Smith. "We knew, back in 2016, and we know now, that we had to act. This law makes it crystal clear - people are allowed to record police activities from a safe distance. On top of these robust reporting requirements, we are blazing a new trail by allowing judges to issue punitive damages to those New Yorkers whose rights have been violated. This is another deterrent against interference, and a reminder that we have the Right to Record."

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams released the following statement ahead of the Rent Guidelines Board's final vote, set for Wednesday evening, urging the board to freeze rents on one and two year leases for rent-regulated units.

"I have long joined tenants in urging and fighting for protections and relief, and I have seen rents continue to rise, forcing New Yorkers out of their homes. Housing injustices, particularly for black and brown communities, have long been rampant. Now, the affordable housing and homelessness crisis has compounded with the COVID-19 health and economic crises, more instances where communities of more color and lower income communities are disproportionately harmed. While it would be an error not to acknowledge and address each mounting crisis in its own complexities, it would also be a failure not to see them as deeply interconnected, each a part of why we protest. Policing injustices brought us out of our homes - rising rents will keep us out.

"As the Governor has refused to cancel rents in this time of crisis, even while we try to find relief for responsible owners, the Rent Guidelines Board has an opportunity to meet the moment and provide some level of relief and justice for tenants struggling against a tide of threats and injustices. The weight of this pandemic in particular will be felt long beyond this moment, or one year, or two. The Board should respond with a full rent freeze, and I implore them to hear and heed the voices of tenants in their vote tonight."

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams released the following statement after the United States Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Bostock v. Clayton County and its consolidated cases that workers cannot be fired or otherwise discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Public Advocate had previously introduced a 2018 resolution in the City Council applauding the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals decision on this issue in Altitude Express v. Zarda, one of the consolidated cases in today's ruling, and denouncing the Department of Justice's repeated attempts to deny civil rights protections to the LGBTQ+ community.

"This is a historic day, a moral and legal triumph, a landmark victory for LGBTQ+ rights that will reverberate through workplaces around the country for many years to come. National, enforceable protections against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity are essential, overdue, and now, the law of the land. 

"But as we look to this morning for hope in the future, we need only to look to the last several days for evidence of how far there is still to go, how much work there is still to do.  The Trump administration has just stripped away healthcare protections for transgender individuals, a despicable and dangerous action that we must stand against in legislation, in court, and in the streets. Yesterday I joined thousands of New Yorkers for the Brooklyn liberation march for Black Trans lives, led by and centering Black Trans people in the fight for justice and against bigotry. As Public Advocate, I will continue the fight - not only during Pride month, but every month throughout the year - both against discrimination in the workplace and for equitable access to employment itself.

"This Pride Month, we have been reminded of the power of protest and disruption to drive a movement and effect transformational, lasting change. In the spirit of revolutionaries like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Miss Major Griffin-Gracy we will continue to march forward for progress, combatting injustices as celebrating victories as we go."

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams released the following statement after Governor Cuomo signed legislation repealing Section 50-a of the New York Civil Rights Law, among other measures including banning chokeholds, enhancing civil penalties for false or hate-based 911 calls, and granting the state Attorney General further investigatory power over cases when an individual dies in officer custody.

"Today is a victory for transparency, for accountability, and for the continued pursuit of justice in policing. 50-A has shielded officers from accountability for years, and hindered individual justice and systemic progress. I thank the Legislature for passing this repeal and the Governor for signing it. Together with finally banning chokeholds, enhancing oversight and investigations of officer interaction, and helping prevent false emergency calls that initiate them, the progress made today shows the power of protest to effect change.

"Primarily, though, I want to lift up and offer gratitude to the directly affected families and the activists who have gotten us here through years of dedicated advocacy, and the officials like Senator Bailey and Assembly Member O'Donnell who championed the 50-a repeal long before it was politically popular, much less imperative. Similarly the chokehold ban is a measure that we have pushed since Eric Garner's death in 2014, and I commend Senator Benjamin and Assembly Member Mosley for their legislative leadership.  "We have been demanding change not for weeks but for years, and it's vital to remember that while these actions come after 13 days of disruption, these same actions could and should have been taken years earlier in this ongoing movement for justice.  "Repealing 50-a is not a singular solution to the issues that have spurred these protests, no act taken today is. There is much more work to be done, and as the state has now shown a willingness to start the much-needed process of enacting transformative, systemic change, we will continue that work in the streets and halls of government."

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams released the following statement after Mayor Bill de Blasio announced an additional $10 million in funding would be allocated to Cure Violence groups under the Crisis Management System. The Public Advocate has long called for expansion of the program.

"The investment announced today should be applauded. Of course more is needed, but today is an acknowledgement that what many have been saying for many years - what we continue to say today, even more emphatically, is true - public safety does not equate to policing. Investing in community groups doing the work of interrupting violence on the ground through engagement with credible messengers works. The additional funds and expansion of the Cure Violence program in the Mayor's Office to Prevent Gun Violence to more of our city will save lives. 

"When we first pushed for these new strategies- these grassroots alternatives to over-policing-  we were shouted down by those who said we were inviting violence on the streets. Now, with even more data on our side, they stand corrected. I'm incredibly proud of the work that's been done since the first pilot program was funded eight years ago, with just under $5 million. Still, as the budget for this initiative is around $40 million, the NYPD's remains close $6 billion.

"If the administration is truly committed to community-driven solutions to gun violence, it can demonstrate that by increasing and baselining funding to make Cure Violence a permanent part of our city's approach to public safety. It can also commit to shifting resources away from a police response in other areas - such as mental health crises - and toward a public health response. In this time of fiscal constraint many if us have identified $1 billion dollars can be repurposed. But right now, this Mayor is not a credible messenger on true, transformational policing reform. With more and even bolder announcements like this my hope is that changes."