| New Yorkers gather at City Hall Park on June 23, 2020 for a march and rally that initiated a protest occupation for the past week. |
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TODAY & TUESDAY 6/30: Call City Council to Defund NYPD |
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As Black Lives Matter protests continue across the country, campaigns to defund police departments and redirect funds to communities have launched in U.S. cities. The MinKwon Center and 171 other community-based organizations signed onto a letter endorsing the demand to defund the NYPD by $1 billion for the 2021 City budget and redirect it to youth, education, and human services. Black activists have began a 24-hour protest occupation near City Hall as the budget is expected to be voted on by this Tuesday, June 30.
Right now, we're hearing nothing good about current proposals: no restoring of youth programming, no investments to seniors, and 15% cuts to most discretionary spending. The "cuts" to the NYPD are largely meaningless: small cuts to miscellaneous expenses, transferring police officers to other departments, and accounting loopholes. None of these cuts or budget changes are being redirected to our communities.
We want New York City Council to vote NO on a budget that does not actually defund the NYPD and invest in our neighbors. Around 12 Council Members have committed to vote no, but it's clearly not enough. Use this script when calling or leaving a voice message:
Hello. My name is [Your Name] and I am a resident of [Your Neighborhood]. I am calling today to urge you to vote NO on a budget that does not meaningfully defund the NYPD by $1 billion and provide investments for human services. We are calling to defund the NYPD that will REDUCE police presence and violence in our communities, not budget tricks or simply transferring officers to another department. We also want to see those cuts reinvested in youth, education, human services, and in our communities. Please commit to voting NO on a budget that does not do these things. |
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