NYC Council Budget Fails New Yorkers
City Council members approved a controversial 2021 budget with a disputed and much-criticized $1 billion “cut” to the NYPD.
After weeks of protesting, which is still ongoing, in a 37-17 final vote the New York City Council and Mayor de Blasio failed New Yorkers with their decision to protect the NYPD’s bloated $6 billion budget instead of investing in Black and Brown communities who continue to disproportionately bear the brunt of COVID-19 and police violence.
Community members and groups including Communities United for Police Reform – in which Katal is a member – were demanding the City Council:
- defund NYPD’s FY21 budget by at least $1 billion (CPR’s budget report actually identifies $2billion in savings that can come directly from the NYPD’s expense budget);
- block NYPD budget line increases and require increased NYPD budget transparency;
- remove police from homelessness outreach, mental health response, and schools and invest in housing, education, healthcare, counselors.
And instead, the Council shifted officers from the NYPD to other agencies, refused to institute a hiring freeze on police, made drastic cuts to city services and a $9 billion cut to NYC arts funding, and failed to take meaningful steps to shrink the NYPD’s massive and abusive presence in our communities.
Read CPR’s Full Release here.
“It’s pathetic that some Councilmembers continue to falsely claim they cut $1B from the NYPD budget, even though Council Speaker Johnson clearly conceded that this wasn’t true, Comptroller Stringer slammed the funny math as a ‘a bait and switch’, and our coalition has been telling everyone about the Mayor & Speaker’s fake cuts and budget tricks for weeks.”
– Anthonine Pierre, spokesperson for Communities United for Police Reform and Deputy Director of Brooklyn Movement Center.
We commend and thank CPR and the member groups that led the charge at City Hall to #DefundNYPD. Together, we must continue pressuring city leaders to truly defund NYPD – no funny math, no musical chairs with police positions.
COVID-19 in Prisons and Jails: CT and NY Get Failing Grades
Last week, the Prison Policy Initiative and the ACLU released a report that found that, when it comes to COVID-19 in jails and prisons – despite all of the information, voices calling for action, and the obvious need — responses by the states have ranged from disorganized or ineffective, at best, to callously nonexistent at worst. The report makes clear that no state has done enough and that all states failed to implement a cohesive, system-wide response. Both CT and NY received a grade of F+ for negligence. And, in news that underscores this crisis and the negligence, recent coronavirus testing at CT’s prisons has identified another 832 positive cases; nearly 10 incarcerated people have died.
We must continue to demand the release of as many people as possible from CT and NYS prisons and jails due to COVID-19. Lives are on the line. If you live in CT or NY, take action with us today to urge CT Gov. Lamont, NY Gov. Cuomo and state legislators to take immediate action NOW. It’s easy and takes just a few minutes to make an impact! We must tell them: #FreeThemNOW
Connecticut residents, take action here.
New York residents, take action here.
We hope that you enjoy your time with loved ones, but please be safe out there this holiday weekend! Keep practicing social distancing, wear your mask, wash your hands, and check in on your neighbors. If you want to get involved, learn more about our work, or just connect, please don’t hesitate to reach out – we’re online and on socials via @katalcenter.
Katal works to strengthen the people, policies, institutions, and movements that advance
health, equity, and justice for everyone. Join us: web, Twitter, Facebook!
Email:info@katalcenter.org. Phone: 646.875.8822.