Press Room

NEW YORK: Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams called for a series of urgent actions and initiatives today to combat the rise of violence targeting transgender individuals, which he deemed a state of crisis. Five transgender persons have been killed nationally in just the last three weeks, and at least 32 have lost their lives this year so far, more than any other year recorded. At least two trans women have been murdered in New York City alone since the beginning of the year, several have been brutally attacked, and there was a recent mural defacement in the Bronx. The Public Advocate called on the Governor, Mayor, and all elected leaders in New York to recognize and respond to the scope and urgency of this tragedy.

"We are in a state of crisis - we need to meet it with urgency, clarity, and resolve," said Public Advocate Williams. "Trans women, particularly trans women of more color, are being killed with impunity, and it is past time to meet that emergency with real change that can end this epidemic of violence. Today I am calling upon the Governor to acknowledge anti-trans violence as a state of crisis, and encourage the Mayor and all of my colleagues in government to join me and the countless advocates who have joined us today in developing comprehensive plans that put an end to anti-trans violence once and for all."

The Public Advocate was joined today by a broad coalition of advocates representing the TGNCNBI community from across the city to condemn violence against transgender individuals and demand critical, tangible action from Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio to provide recognition of and relief from this crisis. The group also held a moment of silence in honor of lives lost, most recently including Brooklyn DeShauna Smith of Louisiana, who lost their life last week, and Sara Blackwood of Indiana, who was reportedly killed on National Coming Out Day.

During the press conference, Public Advocate Williams announced immediate legislative efforts his office is pursuing to advance protections and programs for the transgender community in New York City. These include several pieces of legislation that he plans to introduce in the New York City Council on Thursday. The first would require the city to report on training for medical care for transgender and gender non-conforming persons-  including the scope of the training both in content and in number of personnel trained. The second would require that DOHMH distribute signage on transgender patient rights and available services to every hospital in the City.

Public Advocate Williams also called for the repeal of the Walking While Trans Ban on the state level, and for city leadership to recognize Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20th. He has previously advocated for funding to support TGNC housing and economic empowerment, including through calling on Mayor de Blasio to fulfill his 2017 promise to provide housing vouchers for nearly 4,600 homeless youth - 40% of our city's homeless youth population is LGBTQ youth under the age of 25, in which trans youth are disproportionately represented. The Public Advocate's office, he also announced, is exploring legislation to establish a new TGNCNBI Community Empowerment Program, establish the NYC Unity Project which was cut during the most recent budget, and create an initiative to grow and support TGNCNBI Businesses.

The Public Advocate also previewed the launch of a series of citywide public awareness and engagement events leading up to Trans Day of Remembrance on November 20. In collaboration with community organizations and directly impacted individuals, the office will co-host a five-part series of virtual events aimed at education and advocacy around resources needed within the TGNCNBI community to combat the epidemic of violence.

For more information on the forthcoming programs, set to being in late October, follow @nycpa on Twitter, Facebook.com/NYCPublicAdvocate, and check for upcoming events at advocate.nyc.gov. For further information on the organizations joining today's press conference with the Public Advocate, visit the websites of the NYC Anti-Violence Project, the Audre Lorde Project, Gays and Lesbians Living In a Transgender Society, Destination Tomorrow, the Strategic Trans Alliance for Radical Reform, The Center, Make the Road NY, the Caribbean Equality Project, and Bridges 4 Life.

"One's culture is an integral part of the American experience, and in that spirit I celebrate the rich Italian-American culture that has helped shape our city. But even as I recognize the importance of honoring historical figures in one's culture, especially in moments when Italian-Americans faced periods of intense bigotry in this country, I cannot celebrate Christopher Columbus. For countless indigenous and historically oppressed people, to glorify Columbus is to celebrate the devastation and genocide he helped to usher in and purported deeds he never accomplished in reality. 

"Today I proudly join in celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day, recognizing and honoring the original people of this land who were decimated by Columbus' so-called 'discovery.' Centuries later, their descendants continue to be systemically oppressed. We are in a moment of challenging societal notions of what has been celebrated and who has been devastated - of who we put on a pedestal, and who has been torn down. Few historical figures will entirely hold up to a litmus test of purity, and so it is critical to look at any celebrated figure in the full truth and scope of their actions. I hope that with each year that passes, more people will choose to view Columbus' history in its full context and stand with the oppressed, not the oppressor."

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams released the following statement after it was announced that schools would be closed in zip codes where COVID-19 cases are spiking, and additional proposed restrictions would remain under consideration.

"The back and forth between the Mayor and Governor on the scope and method of enforcement for additional restrictions in specific zip codes as COVID-19 cases rise is an echo of what we saw in mid-March, when delays and power plays led to lives lost. Since then, the only thing that has been consistent between them is inconsistency. The message has been mixed, and the results are clear - cases are rising and New York is at risk of another wide-scale outbreak if proper precautions are not taken. Any further decisions to expand closures by geography or institution must be guided by science, framed in equity, and made jointly between city and state leaders.

"Students and staff are not confined to the neighborhood of their school building - they travel across zip codes and across the city. Of course schools should be closed to students and most school staff in these nine areas - but it's inexplicable that the administration continues to believe school buildings should remain open at all, enabling further spread citywide. In a controlled manner which maintains the availability of REC centers for those most in need, all city schools should transition to fully remote instruction until safety and stability can be more reliably assured and in-person instruction phased in."

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams released the following statement on Governor Cuomo's decision to expand the Tenant Safe Harbor Act rather than extend a true eviction moratorium in New York State, with an executive order which will not adequately protect tenants struggling amid a pandemic and economic crisis from being evicted.

"On the first of the month, rent checks across the city are due, and the eviction moratorium has been allowed to expire. The Governor's half-measure of expanding the Tenant Safe Harbor Act is not a true moratorium on the eviction process, a process that will now begin to target tenants left with inadequate legal protection. Without a true moratorium, eviction cases can still be filed and advanced, and the burden will fall to tenants to prove they are eligible to stay in their homes, a burden which may prove too much for some of the vulnerable populations in our city and state which have already felt immense pain in this pandemic. 

"The Governor's executive order seems to demonstrate a greater interest in securing headlines than housing security - I hope that's not the case. With COVID-19 cases once again rising, it's imperative that he reinstate a true moratorium to keep New Yorkers in their homes - renters and homeowners alike - and cancel rent to keep New Yorkers from greater hardship."

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams released the following statement in response to reports of voters receiving erroneous absentee ballots containing incorrect voter information. The NYC Board of Elections has said that the contracted vendor is responsible for the errors.

"There are already far too many malevolent actions that have made it harder for people to vote - from suppressive laws to a President actively and intentionally undermining confidence in our elections - to add systemic incompetence to the barriers preventing New Yorkers from casting their ballot. It is imperative that we rapidly re-issue ballots to every affected New Yorker. Beyond that, the vendor responsible must be investigated, and possibly terminated and replaced.

"This is far from the first time that the Board of Elections has failed to meet its mandate of facilitating a smooth, stable, secure election. As in many areas, this was an issue exacerbated by the pandemic, not created by it - and while the logistical and funding challenges around this election are real, they do not excuse clear mismanagement in a system overly reliant on political appointees and badly in need of reform. While the President makes every effort to prevent votes and voters from being counted, it could not be more critical that the Board demonstrate basic competence to instill basic confidence that our fundamental right and responsibility to vote will be protected."

NEW YORK: Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams called on the Governor and State Legislature to re-define public safety by using his new platform as a framework for envisioning and expanding non-police alternatives to ensuring safety. He first unveiled the platform for the city in mid-September, and sent a letter to state leaders urging them to pursue the measures after Governor Cuomo reiterated his call for city leadership to present a plan for better policing or lose state funding.

"Simple reforms or discussions around policing is not the answer...While policing has an important role and improving it is imperative, the prevention of violence for example - a primary focus - can only be done through an all-encompassing approach that prioritizes public health and social well-being as alternatives to policing," the Public Advocate says in the letter to Governor Cuomo, as well as Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.

It would be a failure, he notes, to address policing in isolation rather than recognize the broader need to redefine public safety itself. He also acknowledges the Governor's recent policing reform workbook, saying he has presented his own platform "not as a response to those reforms, but as a blueprint for effectively effectively reimagining what creates public safety."

The Public Advocate's platform is part of a campaign that aims to highlight the intersection of public safety in other aspects of city life and governance, outlining a new framework and empowering with effective tools to be the change agents in defining public safety. It addresses ten key areas of gun violence, schools, housing and homelessness, mental health, transportation, technology, domestic violence, immigration, families, and public health. More information on each of these areas is available here.

The full letter to state leaders is below and can be downloaded here.

Dear Governor Cuomo, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Heastie:

I'm writing to share with you a recently assembled platform, curated by both experts and grassroots organizations, to redefine public safety. With this platform, my office seeks to help lead New York City into an era of enhanced safety and amplify the concerns New Yorkers flagged in Governor Cuomo's recent Police Reform Workbook. 

I offer the attached platform not as a response to those reforms, but as a blueprint for effectively reimagining what creates Public Safety. That begins by acknowledging that Public Safety cannot be synonymous with law enforcement. Simple reforms or discussions around policing is not the answer. 

While law enforcement has a part to play, for too long so many integral roles have not been sufficiently embraced. My platform addresses ten key areas where intersectional solutions can be discovered for inadequate services. While policing has an important role and improving it is imperative, the prevention of violence for example, a primary focus, can only be done through an all-encompassing approach that prioritizes public health and social well-being as alternatives to policing. 

The attached platform is only the beginning of a conversation on how we can transform public safety in New York. Over the next view months our plan is to expound on each one of the 10 points and engage in robust community discussions. Your consideration and support of these policy proposals could be instrumental in bettering the lives of countless New Yorkers and inspiring similar transformations across the nation. I hope to engage in further collaboration with all of you on moving forward with these critical issues.

For further discussion, please contact First Deputy Public Advocate Nick E. Smith at nsmith@advocate.nyc.gov and Rama Issa-Ibrahim, Deputy Public Advocate for Justice, Health Equity & Safety at rissa-ibrahim@advocate.nyc.gov. 

Thank you very much for your time and consideration. 

Sincerely, 

Jumaane D. Williams

Public Advocate for the City of New York