In the Media

How 'defund the police' has taken shape across the country

11/12/2020
Local 21 News

WASHINGTON (SBG) - In the wake of nationwide calls to defund the police, government officials in several major U.S. cities have made significant cuts to their local police budgets, part of a sweeping police reform effort sparked by the death of George Floyd.

The movement to defund police departments began in Minneapolis shortly after Floyd's death in late May. Two months later, the Minneapolis City Council moved $1.1 million out of the police department's budget, according to MPR News.

NYPD's Oversight Agency Launches Do-Over On Police Sexual Misconduct Investigations

11/10/2020
Gothamist

Two years after the Civilian Complaint Review Board announced to fanfare that it would begin to investigate police sexual misconduct, the independent NYPD watchdog is starting the process anew.

On Monday, the board anounced it’s seeking public comment on proposed new rules that will enable it to probe sexual misconduct claims against police—such as inappropriate comments, sexual propositions, sexual humiliation, assault and rape.

De Blasio Cites Cops’ Light Touch, But Some Protesters Charge Increased Brutality

11/06/2020
The City

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Friday again invoked what’s been his mantra for months: He expects cops to use “the lightest touch possible” as demonstrators take to the streets amid post-Election Day uncertainty.

But some New Yorkers who have been participating in anti-racism and anti-brutality marches since the spring say that after recent weeks of relative calm cops are back to heavy-handed, sometimes brutal tactics.

He’s About To Be The First Openly Gay Black Member Of Congress — And He’s Talking About Mental Health Like Few Politicians Ever Have

Ritchie Torres is grappling with how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting his likely New York district’s mental health and opening up about his own.
10/27/2020
BuzzFeed News

WASHINGTON — At 32, Ritchie Torres has already been a star in New York City politics for years.

At 25, he became the youngest member of the City Council. Soon, he’ll likely become one of the youngest members of the House, and, along with fellow New York Democratic congressional nominee Mondaire Jones, the first openly gay Black member of Congress.

Tri-State Area Police Unions Fight to Keep Disciplinary Records Private

Lawsuits try to block states’ new laws and policies to increase transparency
10/12/2020
Wall Street Journal

Police unions in the tri-state region are fighting to block new measures that would give the public access to law-enforcement discipline records, which have long been confidential.

Lawmakers and officials in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut enacted new policing disclosure laws and policies in recent months, amid nationwide protests calling for greater accountability. Advocates who support such changes say police officers entrusted to use lethal force should be subject to greater transparency and held responsible for misconduct.

‘I will continue to fight until I get the truth’: A year later, family of Antonio Williams wants justice and transparency

10/02/2020
Bronx Times

A year after Antonio Williams was murdered by police in the Bronx, members of the community expressed outrage for the lack of disciplinary action for the NYPD officers and that the unedited version of officers’ body cam footage had not yet been released.

Long-Promised Study of De Blasio's Neighborhood Policing Program Delayed Into His Final Months In Office

09/29/2020
Gotham Gazette

An external study of the NYPD’s neighborhood policing program, which Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD leadership have promised for years, has been delayed because of the pandemic, according to the company conducting the review. The results of the study, which is supposed to provide empirical support for one of de Blasio’s signature initiatives that he regularly credits for what he says are improved police-community relations, were originally due in mid-2021 and it’s currently unclear when they will be released.

Judge Clears Way For Eric Garner's Family To Question Mayor Bill De Blasio And NYPD Under Oath

09/25/2020
Gothamist
A New York Supreme Court judge ruled Thursday that a judicial inquiry into whether the New York Police Department failed to properly investigate the police officers involved in the death of Eric Garner in 2014 can go forward. The ruling potentially clears the way for Mayor Bill de Blasio and former NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill, to be compelled to testify under oath about how they handled the aftermath of Garner’s death.

Should police respond to mental health calls?

The death of Daniel Prude in Rochester has prompted calls to reimagine mental health crisis response.
09/10/2020
City & State

Eight years before Daniel Prude – a Black man experiencing a mental health crisis – died after being detained by police in Rochester, Hawa Bah watched a similar situation play out with her own son, Mohamed, in New York City. In 2012, Hawa Bah, a Guinean immigrant, called 911 for an ambulance to help her son, who had been acting erratically. New York City Police Department officers arrived at his apartment and eventually shot Mohamed Bah eight times, killing him. Police said Mohamed Bah lunged at one officer with a knife.

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