FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact:
Eliel Cruz
In response to Mayor Eric Adam’s preliminary budget proposal and announcement to continue Operation Restore Roosevelt and Governor Kathy Hochul’s commitment of $154 million to place cops on every subway for six months, the Justice Committee released the following statement from Community Safety Coordinator, Donavon Taveras (He/Him):
"The budget proposals and so-called public safety plans recently unveiled by Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul perpetuate the same violent and wasteful 'throw cops at public health problems' playbook we've endured for the past three years. Once again, it is New Yorkers who will bear the brunt of this failed approach, especially Black, Latine, and other New Yorkers of color. Where is the logic in allocating $154 million in state funds for overnight subway cops—on top of repeated surges of state and local police into the transit system—while community-based mental health care remains critically underfunded? Adams and Hochul talk about addressing the 'perception' of safety, but New Yorkers don’t need more taxpayer-funded 'cops-equal-safety theater.' What we need are public leaders who invest in real solutions that prioritize our communities' well-being. It is because of these misguided investments and the recently announced extension of Operation Restore Roosevelt that we urge all New Yorkers to learn to CopWatch and be ready to exercise their right to monitor and document the police to deter and expose police violence in their communities.”
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