Press Room

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams issued the following statement on the city's school reopening strategy as the Mayor continues to push for in-person learning to resume on September 10. He will join a press conference with the Alliance for Quality Education and other education advocates this morning to further explain his opposition.

"The Mayor and Chancellor got an assignment five months ago: to develop and implement a strategy for schools in the fall that would be educationally sound, scientifically supported, and centered on the safety of students and staff. Failure to deliver on that charge, while holding to the same deadline, has put teachers, administrators, students and parents in a near-impossible situation.

"The plans and modifications coming from this administration at this late stage are strategies that could possibly have been effective if considered and collaborated on months ago, with adequate input and adequate funding. Now, they come amid rising opposition from parents, teachers, administrators and medical professionals, and would place an additional and undue burden on those same groups. In the midst of a city and state budget crisis, they risk compounding existing inequities. And they demonstrate a reality we all know to be true but which some won't admit - the city is not prepared to resume in-person learning on the arbitrary date of September 10th, and the prudent course of action is to open remotely while critical infrastructure is put in place, before phasing in in-person learning with effective safety measures. Yes, the city's strategies could come together in the next two weeks - but the possibility is, at the least, remote."

The New York City Council passed legislation from Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams today to extend construction site safety training deadlines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling more workers to get the potentially life-saving training mandated by a law he previously enacted with Council Member Carlos Menchaca to mandate a minimum number of hours of safety training. The new bill passed today, Intro. 2059-A, was also co-sponsored by Council Member Menchaca and extends the deadline to receive this training through to March 1, 2021.

"Construction has always been one of the most dangerous jobs in New York City, with inadequate training and protection for the people who build our city," said the Public Advocate of the legislation. "Before the pandemic and throughout it, construction workers have been too often labelled as essential but treated as expendable - COVID-19 has changed the way training is administered, but not the reasons it is critical. By expanding the timeline and the opportunity for workers to access safety training, we can save lives and rebuild the eroding culture of safety in the industry."

"As we confront the pandemic and its economic aftermath, we need to protect construction workers, who in addition to having one of the deadliest jobs in our City, are struggling to meet training requirements that could determine whether they keep their jobs or not," said Council Member Carlos Menchaca. "I'm proud the Council voted unanimously to support unions and day labor organizations who represent these workers and ensure their and our collective safety."

This legislation comes as the Public Advocate is also requesting expanded and adapted training from the Department of Small Business Services. He has called for several immediate actions be taken to help ensure the safety of construction workers, essential workers, including adapting trainings that can be implemented in-person and online, making training cards more accessible to workers, and establishing further health guidelines, among others.

Amid an uptick in gun violence and widespread rumors of a work slowdown among New York City Police Department officers, Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams is requesting information from NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea about the number of police enforcement actions dating back across three years and across all precincts.

In a letter to the Commissioner, the Public Advocate says of a potential slowdown that "This rumor continues to grow stronger as the death toll continues to rise. It is my sincere hope that you can demonstrate with certainty that no such slowdown exists within any individual precincts, and within the NYPD as a whole." He goes on to say that "New Yorkers need to know that during an emergency their law enforcement officers will show up and act in the best interests of the communities they serve."

The full letter is available below and can be downloaded here.

Dear Commissioner Shea: New York City continues to suffer from a horrific rise in shootings across every borough, with the vast majority of victims being black and brown New Yorkers. As shootings and violence have continued for months unabated, rumors have circulated that the New York Police Department (NYPD) is taking part in a deliberate slowdown. This rumor continues to grow stronger as the death toll continues to rise. It is my sincere hope that you can demonstrate with certainty that no such slowdown exists within any individual precincts, and within the NYPD as a whole.  Just as community trust in our police can degrade from over-enforcement, it can also degrade from underenforcement. New Yorkers need to know that during an emergency their law enforcement officers will show up and act in the best interests of the communities they serve. Please provide comparative data quantifying all arrests and charges, including non-violent offenses, taking place from March through August, for the past three years. Please disaggregate this data by individual precincts.

I hope you will understand the urgency of this request, and I look forward to receiving your response on this matter. Please contact First Deputy Public Advocate Nick E. Smith at nsmith@advocate.nyc.gov with any questions.  Thank you. Sincerely, Jumaane D. Williams Public Advocate for the City of New York

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams issued the following statement after the United States Second Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a gag order which was preventing the publication of a database of Civilian Complaint Review Board complaint records obtained by the New York Civil Liberties Union through a Freedom of Information request.

"This is what transparency looks like - and while it's gratifying that this information is finally public, it's disheartening that it takes a federal court order to mandate what should be common sense and standard practice. New Yorkers have a right to know about allegations and instances of misconduct by the officers that are meant to serve their communities, and to know whether there has been accountability for that misconduct. Transparency and accountability are not in opposition to better policing and safer streets, they are essential for both. "Unfortunately, for too long, disingenuous actors including the leadership of several law enforcement unions have sought to shield bad actors within the department from scrutiny or consequence - and have too often had the backing of city and state elected leaders in that effort. That backing can be seen even now, as the city has recently argued in another case that the department has no obligation to discipline officers who commit offenses. Now, with 50-a finally repealed, these law enforcement unions continue to oppose that repeal in court - a baseless effort to prevent transparency that we can all see through. We've won the legislative fight, we're winning the legal fights, and we will continue the long fight for justice in law enforcement through our voices and our votes."

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams issued the following statement reiterating his opposition to the proposed Industry City rezoning, as the City Planning Commission voted to move the plan forward today.

"Today I am glad to stand with the community, and with its local city representation, to oppose the Industry City rezoning. As it stands, the proposal lacks adequate climate adaptation or mitigation and threatens to exacerbate issues of gentrification, loss of social cohesion, and climate vulnerability. There are accommodations and alterations which could have been made to this proposal, requests the community made and which were not adequately met - including through failure to make an ironclad commitment against including unwanted hotels. "Rezonings must be done with the community needs in mind and in full consultation with that community. I have previously called for a moratorium on all rezonings until a racial impact study has been completed, which is clearly needed in this case.   "It's true that the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis have framed in stark and urgent relief the need for job growth and revitalized and reimagined economic development in our city. But the pandemic has also magnified existing structural issues and inequities that have long devastated communities, and this rezoning would be a continuation of those issues, not a cure. Jobs are essential, in this crisis and beyond it, but this rezoning is not a way to spark and sustain economic and community health. Like the Hudson Yards project before it, which now siphons crucial city resources while doing nothing to help everyday New Yorkers, this proposal is not a short term solution to the city's economic situation, and it could have long term negative consequences. "I stand with residents, who face an affordability crisis. I stand with this community, who face an oncoming wave of gentrification and oncoming threats of climate damage, both of which will be exacerbated if this rezoning takes place. I stand against the current proposal and urge my fellow city leaders to do the same."

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams issued the following statement after the U.S. Census Bureau announced it would end all counting efforts for the 2020 Census on September 30, a month earlier than the previous deadline.

"The Trump administration has been transparent, blatant, and shameless in its efforts to undermine the 2020 census, particularly by discounting metropolitan areas and disregarding black, brown, and immigrant communities. It has been rebuffed and rejected in every past attempt, and changing the deadline is a last-ditch effort toward these same ends. Ending the count early all but ensures an undercount for New York City, and a subsequent lack of resources and representation. In the midst of a global pandemic, we need more time to ensure an accurate count, not less, but this is an administration unconcerned by inaccuracy, indifferent to the consequences - particularly in communities of more color.  "In New York City, an average of only 53% of residents have completed the census - lagging behind both the statewide and national average. If this trend continues, it could have a devastating impact on New Yorkers' voice in government and the resources that government provides. "The best way to combat this failure by design, this undercount by intention, is for each New Yorker to complete the census online and to encourage their neighbors to do the same. Many communities have had reason to be distrustful of governments seeking personal information, and it is incumbent on us to reassure people of the security and necessity of responding to the census in order to overcome that understandable obstacle. Completing this simple form takes less than ten minutes, but its impact - or the impact of not completing it - will be felt in New York City for more than ten years."