Mayor Adams Grabs More Power for Himself at the Expense of New Yorkers
On Tuesday, Mayor Adams’ ballot proposals 2-5 passed by the narrowest margins of any NYC ballot proposals in at least 15 years, and proposal 6 was completely rejected by New Yorkers. Mayor Adams rushed the most undemocratic charter review process in decades and used deceptive ballot language to mislead voters and give himself more unchecked power. These harmful measures enable the Department of Correction and the NYPD to block accountability and obstruct reform measures. Once again, Adams moves NYC in the wrong direction.
We’re grateful for the No Power Grab NYC campaign, a community led campaign of more than 60 organizations who workede in record time to fight back against the mayor’s power grab. New Yorkers from every background and borough came together in this historic, community-led grassroots effort to fight back against this dangerous power grab. From mid-September 2024 to Election Day, No Power Grab NYC held over 100 actions, including rallies at City Hall with elected officials, voter education events in subway stations, virtual town halls, canvasses, tabling, social media days, and more.
Katal team providing information to voters about Props 2-6 at the NYC College of Technology early polling site, 11.3.24
While we’re disappointed in the results, we will not stop organizing to hold the Mayor accountable, and efforts are already underway to urge state lawmakers to take immediate action to restore the checks and balances, and put power back in the hands of New Yorkers, where it belongs.
Our NY Directors, Melanie Dominguez and Yonah Zeitz, were quoted in the campaign press release:
“It is shameful that Mayor Adams rushed through a City Charter Commission to give himself more power and weaken checks-and-balances. For our members, allies, and anyone else following the disaster that is Rikers under Mayor Adams, it comes as no surprise that the mayor would use a sham process to erode avenues of accountability and transparency further. We will continue to fight back and organize to shut down Rikers and build the fair, just, healthy, and equitable city all New Yorkers deserve.
If you have any questions about the ballot proposals or campaign, please contact Yonah at Yonah@katalcenter.org.
Next Thursday 11/14: Post-Election New York Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call
Our NY Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call is next Thursday, November 14th, 2024! During this month’s call, our lobbyist will spend additional time providing a detailed breakdown of the 2025 election results and its impact on the upcoming legislative session in Albany. We’ll also be joined by organizers, advocates, and community members working on every aspect of criminal justice reform in the state.
Register to join us on Thursday, November 14th, from 12 – 1 pm.
If you have any questions about the statewide call or would like to be a presenter, please contact Yonah at Yonah@katalcenter.org.
Katal Testifies at City Council Hearing on the Rampant Sexual Abuse at Rikers
Last Thursday, 10/31, the New York City Council Committee on Criminal Justice held a hearing on preventing and addressing sexual assault and harassment in NYC jails. In March, news broke that 719 of the 1,256 civil lawsuits filed under the Adult Survivors Act were filed against the City of New York and the NYC Department of Corrections for sexual assaults by Rikers staff against incarcerated women. This was nearly 60% of all the claims filed in New York City’s Supreme Courts under the one-year look-back period.
Under Adams, even the most basic aspects of operations at Rikers have further unraveled into disarray, and avenues of accountability have been systematically eroded. Reporting in September indicates that the system for investigating rapes and sexual abuse of incarcerated people at Rikers is failing under the Adams administration as “more than 45% of the department’s investigations into sexual abuse and sexual harassment allegations last year dragged on beyond a local and federal mandate.”
Here’s the statement we put out following the hearing:
“Rikers is an absolute disaster. Sexual abuse and assaults are widespread within our city’s jail system. Since Mayor Eric Adams took office, the overlapping crises and scandals on Rikers Island have worsened. His administration has stymied the process of investigating sexual abuse cases, and the number of substantiated cases has significantly dropped. The culture of impunity within the Department of Correction continues to hamper reform and harm incarcerated people. It’s abundantly clear that this administration and department are both unwilling and unable to address the deep-rooted issues plaguing the jail systems. Incarcerated people, including our members and their loved ones, are being harmed as a result. Until Rikers is closed, we call on the federal courts to immediately step in to appoint an independent receiver to improve conditions and save lives. We urge the City Council to support this necessary and drastic measure by passing Resolution 183, which calls for the appointment of a receiver. Without action, the abuse, violence, and mismanagement will continue unabated.”
Katal Quotes of the Week
These are some of the quotes we’re thinking about this week.
“Nothing is more important than stopping facism, because facism is going to stop us all.” – Fred Hampton
“Solidarity is the enemy of all oppressions” – Suzanne Pharr
“Let this radicalize you rather than lead you to despair” – Mariame Kaba
For printing and distribution, download the Katal Weekly Update PDF version.
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