The Progressive Caucus applauds the tireless work of advocates, community organizers, and the tens of thousands of New Yorkers who have taken to the streets to demand transformative change in how policing is conducted in New York City. We stand with our colleagues – Speaker Corey Johnson, Laurie Cumbo, Robert Cornegy, I. Daneek Miller, Adrienne Adams, Daniel Dromm, Vanessa L. Gibson, Donovan Richards, and the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus (BLAC) – in their commitment to find $1 billion in the NYPD budget that can be diverted to other essential investments that benefit marginalized communities in New York City. We are grateful for their leadership on this issue.
For far too long Black communities and people of color in New York City have been denied equal access to safety and disproportionately affected by police violence. We are committed to working with the Speaker and our colleagues in the BLAC to identify meaningful reductions in the NYPD budget for FY21. Cuts that reimagine safety in our communities by demilitarizing the NYPD and rethinking the role of police in crisis intervention, public housing, schools, and many other arenas of public life.
New Yorkers have spoken clearly and the Progressive Caucus has heard this clarion call. We will work tirelessly until the June 30th deadline to find additional savings in the NYPD budget. We thank our colleagues for their leadership and pledge to work with them to build a safer and more equitable New York City.