Invest in New Yorkers, Not More Policing

The safest communities are not the ones with the most police or the highest jail populations; they are the communities with the most resources, the strongest social safety nets, and the most accessible and non-punitive support for people in crisis. But the City’s over-resourcing of and over-reliance on the NYPD has meant fewer resources for New York’s public health infrastructure, social safety net, and other vital services that would enable communities to truly thrive.

The Mayor has proposed a budget for FY24 that includes cuts to vital services, including homelessness and housing services, libraries, mental health services, education and youth services, and police oversight. Meanwhile, the NYPD’s budget would be largely protected, as this administration continues to rely on policing as the default response to nearly every social issue.

The City Council has a real opportunity to correct this imbalanced approach by passing a budget that is rooted in justice for New York communities, that divests from harmful and counterproductive strategies, and that makes long overdue investments that will increase opportunities for New Yorkers by making their communities healthier, more resilient, and better able to thrive.

We can achieve budget justice in New York City by passing a FY24 budget that removes police from social service roles like homeless outreach and mental health response, disbands abusive NYPD units like the Strategic Response Group and Vice Squad, and that scales back bloated NYPD spending on things like overtime and invasive new surveillance technologies. And we must redirect that money into spending on actual, long-term solutions that meet people’s basic needs, like housing, education, and mental health services.

I urge you to support a budget that funds New Yorkers’ public health and social service infrastructure and that finally makes real changes to our over-reliance on policing.