Mayor Promises $1 Billion NYPD Cuts, Budget Shift Toward Youth
NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Bill de Blasio promised $1 billion in NYPD cuts in an upcoming budget that would redistribute the funds to youth programs.
De Blasio's announcement on Monday responded to a demand — to an exact dollar figure he previously wouldn't commit to — by police brutality protesters after weeks of citywide demonstrations following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
But he also declined to give details on where the proposed cuts will come from in the NYPD. Those will be hashed out by City Hall, the City Council and everyone else at the negotiating table ahead of a Tuesday budget deadline, he said.
"Over this weekend, City Hall here, my office, presented to the City Council a plan that would achieve a billion dollars in savings for the NYPD, and shift resources to young people, to communities, in a way that would help address a lot of the underlying issues that we know are the cause of so many problems in our society," he said.
The mayor's plan would shift more than $500 million in capital funding to youth recreation centers and NYCHA developments, de Blasio said.
Other details remained scant as of Monday.
De Blasio said the plan would ensure real police reform and redistribution of NYPD funds, as well as not impact public safety. He expressed concerned over a recent spike in shootings citywide and said any plan should not cut impact patrol strength or school safety.
"We have to make reform the right way," he said.
The proposal drew quick criticism from both police reform protesters and a powerful police union.
VOCAL-NY, a group that organized an "Occupy City Hall" protest calling for $1 billion in cuts, decried the proposed budget as a "total betrayal." They cited a Politico report on the deal which indicated it would not so much cut the NYPD's budget as shift it to other agencies and retain police's role in places like schools and homeless services.
"The deal as described does nothing close, preserving police resources and power — with not a single layoff among NYPD’s uniformed cops — and continues the Mayor’s initial budget proposal to starve the communities left devastated by the coronavirus crisis, the same communities targeted by historical and current police abuse.
By contrast, Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch in a statement claimed the proposal would lead to fewer cops on the streets — a direct contradiction of what de Blasio assured was not the case.
"We will say it again: the Mayor and the City Council have surrendered the city to lawlessness," he said.
This article originally appeared on the New York City Patch
