For Immediate Release: July 1, 2021
Contact: media@colorofchange.org
COLOR OF CHANGE: BUDGET VOTE INCREASING NYPD FUNDING REVEALS BROKEN PROMISE FROM MAYOR DE BLASIO, CITY COUNCIL TO INVEST IN NYC COMMUNITIES
Scott Roberts, Senior Director of Criminal Justice and Democracy Campaigns at Color Of Change, issued this statement following New York City Council vote approving Mayor De Blasio’s FY 2022 budget, which increases NYPD funding by nearly $200 million:
“This budget vote flies in the face of what New Yorkers want. Last summer, as local and national activists led historic protests for racial justice, New Yorkers demanded that the city stop funding its violent police department and, instead, invest in its communities. And thanks to their activism, Mayor De Blasio, Speaker Johnson, and other elected officials promised transformative changes to the city’s public safety system — including a $1 billion reinvestment of NYPD funding into community programs — to protect and affirm Black lives. But now, with this vote to not only preserve the police budget but to increase police spending by nearly $200 million, the current city council has proven that they have no interest in honoring New Yorkers’ demands. As the Mayor and more than 30 city councilmembers vacate their seats next year, there will be no one to answer for this vote, how officials caved under pressure from police and police unions, and what it means for New Yorkers.
“Our communities need resources — not policing. For years, officials have lavished funding on police departments that have failed to keep us safe while critical services like housing, education, and health care remain underfunded. It’s time that leaders on the local, state, and federal level redefine public safety in America, invest in the support and services that our communities need to thrive, and take action to end racist police violence.”
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Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by over 7 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and governments to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org