Testimony on the City Council’s Police Reform Proposals

The mass mobilization of New Yorkers demanding justice for Black lives following the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Daniel Prude, and too many Black and Brown people propelled New York lawmakers to finally act on long-overdue police reform measures to increase transparency and accountability. Important as these measures are, it is clear that reforms alone are not sufficient to address the structural and cultural problems inherent in law enforcement If New York City is to accomplish meaningful change, the City Council must assert real leadership and center the demands of communities most impacted by police violence, and commit to dramatically reduce the NYPD’s budget and invest in Black and Brown communities.