Testimony on Reducing the Responsibilities of the NYPD

In 2020, the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Daniel Prude, and too many Black and Brown people sparked uprisings throughout the country and across the state. Thus far, however, New York City has not taken action commensurate with the scale of the problem. The City Council must act to reduce the size, scope, and power of the NYPD. That begins with identifying areas of responsibility that can be moved outside of the Department, divesting from funds currently allocated to the NYPD for those responsibilities, and reinvesting those funds into communities and into non-carceral, non-punitive services to support New Yorkers.