New York, NY—Today, the New York City Council released a concrete budget proposal containing a $1 billion cut to the NYPD’s annual $6 billion budget. The reductions would come from removing functions like school safety and homeless outreach from the police; reducing the size of the force through a hiring freeze and by not replacing officers who retire; and limiting overtime pay.
Steve Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition, issued the following statement in response:
“Speaker Johnson and the New York City Council just proved, where there’s a will there’s a way. After two weeks of public protests and mealy-mouthed excuses from the Mayor, the City Council wrested control of NYC’s budget and proposed reductions that the Mayor has deemed impossible. Memo to Mayor de Blasio - the world has changed. This proposal makes clear that you don’t have to sacrifice public safety to maintain the health and welfare of New Yorkers. In fact, City Council’s proposal offers New York City a means to streamline the NYPD’s budget to address concerns from Black communities suffering from over-policing and violence at the hands of the NYPD, while meeting the needs of all New Yorkers who are struggling to stay afloat during this difficult time. Now more than ever we need to prioritize communities over punishment. We are grateful to Speaker Johnson and the City Council for their work on this proposal and urge Mayor de Blasio to adopt it.”