MESSAGE
| DATE | 2020-11-02 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
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| SUBJECT | Subject: [Hangout - NYLXS] Defunding the Police and NYC budget restraints
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New York City Community Confronts Impact of NYPD Budget Cuts
Emma Tucker
8-11 minutes
Residents of a predominantly Black area of Queens had mixed feelings
over the summer when New York City lawmakers eliminated funding for the
long-awaited creation of a new police precinct and the construction of a
precinct station house in their community.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city council scrapped spending on the
project as part of the budget they approved on June 30 following weeks
of large-scale protests over the killing of George Floyd, a Black man,
in police custody in Minneapolis. Black Lives Matter protesters had
called for defunding the NYPD and other departments around the country,
and investing in social services and economic mobility for Black
communities.
Defund the Police: What It Means and How It Could Work
0:00 / 5:00
3:53
Defund the Police: What It Means and How It Could Work
Defund the Police: What It Means and How It Could Work
In the wake of George Floyd’s death, protesters across the country are
calling on officials to defund the police. WSJ’s Shelby Holliday
examines what the phrase means and how it might work. Photo: Ragan Clark
/ Associated Press
Many residents in southeast Queens agreed with the calls to end police
brutality, but some were torn that plans for a new precinct were once
again placed in limbo. Since the late 1970s, longtime dwellers have been
advocating for the precinct, which would have been designated the 116th.
They saw the precinct and the station house as a community benefit that
would have improved police-response times to 911 calls in the area,
increased the quality of life and enhanced community relations by
offering public space and a youth center.
“There is no better way to bring the community together, build trust
with the department and ensure that you are not only reimagining what
policing looks like, but also what the space looks like within the
community,” City Councilman Donovan Richards, a Queens Democrat, said of
the precinct. Mr. Richards said he is still working to reinstate the
funding.
The 116th Precinct, referred to by some southeast Queens residents as
the “40-Year Dream,” was envisioned by the local community as a model
for future police precincts in New York City and across the country. Mr.
de Blasio, a Democrat, announced the site of the new 116th Precinct
station house in 2017.
A rendering of the proposed 116th Precinct station in Rosedale, N.Y.
Photo: Caitlin Ochs for The Wall Street Journal
The new precinct would have covered the neighborhoods of Rosedale,
Springfield Gardens, Brookville, Laurelton and the southern area of
Cambria Heights, and would have absorbed over half of the 105th
Precinct’s geographic area. The 105th is currently one of the largest
precincts in the city in terms of geographic boundaries. Many residents
in the 105th say that its size leads to slower police-response times to
911 calls.
Some longtime residents said the new precinct is needed more than ever
to help stem the rise in crime in Queens this year.
Shootings and murders in New York City have risen sharply since the city
began a phased reopening of its economy in June after months of lockdown
restrictions to contain the spread of the new coronavirus. Overall major
felony crime in the 105th Precinct is up nearly 12% for the year so far
compared with the same period in 2019, NYPD figures show.
Franck Joseph, a 30-year-old who is a member of local community groups,
said he advocated for the precinct and helped secure resources for
southeast Queens as a staffer for Mr. Richards from 2013 to 2016. The
precinct should still be created, Mr. Joseph said, but there should be
ample accountability and reimagining of what policing looks like in a
predominantly Black community.
Bess DeBetham, co-chair of the 116th Precinct Task Force, speaking with
local activist Franck Joseph in Rosedale earlier in October.
Photo: Caitlin Ochs for The Wall Street Journal
“We need to ensure the resources and response times we’re receiving are
equitable to other areas,” he said. “But we have to reconcile that with
the trauma within the community due to the violence we have seen against
Black bodies.”
For many young residents in Queens, however, the effort to build the
precinct is at odds with the movement to reform policing around the
country. Deandra Simon, a 23-year-old lifelong resident of southeast
Queens, said the city should instead invest in more advanced police body
cameras, patrol cars and other equipment to better hold officers
accountable.
“People are being surveilled by police in southeast Queens, and yet we
still don’t see quicker response times or feel like the police are there
to protect us,” she said, referring to an NYPD sky watchtower in a
section of southeastern Queens.
Community activists walked through the neighborhood in Rosedale earlier
in October.
Photo: Caitlin Ochs for The Wall Street Journal
The NYPD didn’t respond to a request for comment about Ms. Simon’s comments.
The city budget approved in June trimmed nearly $1 billion in funding
for the NYPD. The mayor said $500 million would be taken from the NYPD’s
capital budget and reinvested into improving youth centers and public
housing. Advocates for defunding the police and some members of the city
council criticized the cuts, saying that the city needed to implement
systemic change rather than shift funds.
As part of the budget deal, $92 million previously allocated for the
116th Precinct in 2017 was diverted to a new community center for young
people in Jamaica, Queens.
Mayoral spokesman Mitchell Schwartz said the mayor’s office worked with
the city council to pass a budget that “balanced public safety with
real, substantive reforms.”
“We’re looking forward to keeping the conversation going with advocates,
elected officials, and community leaders across the five boroughs,” Mr.
Schwartz said.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
Do you think funding should be reinstated for the creation of a new
police precinct and a precinct station house in this Queens, N.Y.,
community? Why or why not? Join the conversation below.
An NYPD spokeswoman referred to a comment from the mayor over the summer
that said one of the goals of the city this year was to reallocate
resources for young people.
A coalition of 20 north and southeast Queens civic associations and
other community groups started an initiative after the budget cuts to
lobby to get funding back into the precinct.
“Having been in this struggle for decades, I just can’t give up,” said
Bess DeBetham, co-chair of the 116th Precinct Task Force.
Mr. Richards, who voted against the city budget, said the budget cuts
didn’t go far enough in addressing internal issues within the police
department. He said the 116th Precinct’s funding should have remained
but the budget should have reined in police overtime and forced the
department to address implicit bias among officers.
“We should be able to have safe streets and a department that provides
services to the community,” he said. “It shouldn’t be one or the other.”
Write to Emma Tucker at emma.tucker-at-wsj.com
--
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