Justice For New York City

April 10, 2015

Thank you for having me this morning.

I would like to start by thanking New York Law School for giving me the opportunity to speak today.

And thank you to Dean Anthony Crowell, Ross Sandler, Lenni Benson, who is also the Founder of the Safe Passage Project, and lastly to Arthur Abbey, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of New York Law School.

We are gathered together this morning at a critical time in the history of our city, our state, and our country.

Spurred by events in places like Ferguson, New York City and now in North Charleston with the murder of Walter Scott, we are taking a new look at not just how we define justice – but how we seek it.

That search is rarely linear, and is a pathway lined with struggle.

Indeed, the quest for justice has never been easy – nor will it ever be.

It is a pathway that extends from communities and neighborhoods here in New York City and connects across the country – linking small towns and big cities, small main streets and big boulevards.

Across this vast country of ours, we may face different issues in our communities, but the common thread is the single focal point we are always striving towards – we are striving for justice.

So how we achieve justice then is perhaps the great question of today – and it’s a question we’ve tackled head on at the City Council.

Whether it’s justice for workers striving to make enough to support their families;

Justice for communities harmed by gun violence;

Justice for the unaccompanied children who fled unspeakable horrors;

Or justice for those with interactions in the criminal justice system – the City Council is working every day to make our City a fairer and just place.

And we’ve already had successes.

While the Republican Congress has consistently thrown up roadblocks against immigration reform, the New York City Council has acted to ensure that our policies live up to our values as a city.

We created a landmark public-private partnership to ensure all unaccompanied minors have access to a lawyer.

Thanks to the City Council, and many in this room today, every single child who makes his or her way to New York City is covered by an attorney.

They should not have to face their plights alone—and thanks to the City Council, they aren’t.

We’ve also passed a municipal ID program that’s open to all, regardless of immigration status;

Funded key legal services in immigration court;

And limited cooperation with the federal government on ICE detainers which led to too many unnecessary deportations.

Other cities should take note of what we’ve done here in New York, because our work on immigration is upholding and expanding the American Dream.

New York City has always been a beacon of hope and optimism, and we intend to keep it that way.

We also know we need to improve access to lawyers for the thousands of New Yorkers who either don’t have access to one or can’t afford it.

I know a few months ago there was a forum here on how to expand civil legal services because you all rightfully understand the urgency of the problem we’re facing.

That’s why we introduced legislation last week to create the Office of the Civil Justice Coordinator.

Its mission will be simple but essential—to work toward ensuring adequate legal representation for every New Yorker.

This Office will have the authority to make comprehensive budget recommendations and to advocate for resources to meet our city’s civil legal needs.

It’s going to be the Peoples Law Firm.

The Civil Justice Coordinator will also create a five-year plan to overhaul New York’s approach to providing civil legal services, targeting our outreach and ensuring that these resources reach the at-risk New Yorkers who need them most, in at every corner of our city.

The City Council will again boost funding to our invaluable partners and non-profit legal providers who are on the ground administering these vital services, as well as assist in coordinating their efforts.

Targeting and expanding New York’s civil legal services makes both social and economic sense.

For every dollar invested in civil legal help, six go into our economy.

And when New Yorkers are empowered in the courtroom, they are able better able to build stable family units and diverse neighborhoods.

Improving access to the civil legal system will benefit tens of thousands of New Yorkers throughout the city, making sure they have the tools they need to get the justice they deserve.

That need for justice also must extend to our criminal justice system.

Here, we must move forward with not just a sense of purpose, but with steady resolve to fix the long term, systemic issues which have plagued New York City.

For too long, too many of our young people–particularly young men of color – have found themselves locked up at Rikers for low level, non-violent offenses.

Once they get to Rikers, it becomes very difficult to get out.

In fact, the average stay at Rikers if you can’t afford bail is now 24 days.

Think about that for a second: 24 days on Rikers Island, the same facility which the U.S. Attorney said had a “culture of violence” against teenage inmates.

Teenagers.

The consequences of a stay at Rikers are obvious… the loss of a job… the loss of a child… the loss of a home … and often… the loss of a future.

Too many futures have been lost because of our policies.

It is time for us to finally close this chapter of our city’s history.

We simply cannot continue to lock up our young people in Rikers for weeks on end for low level, non-violent offenses.

To do this, we’re calling for an expansion of desk appearance tickets and summons for low level arrests—because jumping a turnstile at 16 should not mark you for the rest of your life.

We’ve also proposing a city-wide bail fund, because the overwhelming majority of those in jail are there because they can’t afford bail – often as little as $500 to $1000 dollars.

We’re not eliminating consequences for breaking the law–there should be consequences- but what we’re doing is making sure the penalties better fit the offense.

I am happy to say we’ve engaged in positive conversations with both the Mayor’s Office and NYPD and I am hopeful we will achieve our aims.

Nationally, there is also momentum for criminal justice reform- because this is no longer a left-right or red blue issue.

Indeed, criminal justice reform is an issue is creating some strange bedfellows!

The Koch Brothers and the Center for American Progress have teamed up to reduce recidivism… and in the Senate…. Rand Paul and Cory Booker are working together on reforms to help ex-offenders become productive members of society.

We also understand that we must give NYPD and Commissioner Bratton the tools they need to continue to keep crime low while also fostering better community relations– which is why we’re asking for an expanded police force so we can do true community policing.

What we want to do is work together to build a stronger, safer and more just city.

Criminal justice reform is an issue whose time has come– and New York City must lead from the front: because when New York leads, others follow.

Here in New York, we’re committed to shifting the dynamics and challenging the status quo- because the status quo is simply unsustainable.

When I spoke at my state of the City a few months ago, I said we need to stop and listen to each other, because it is only though listening that we can get a better understanding of one another.

That means listening to all voices.

Because we truly are all in this together. We are each other’s keepers in this great city of ours.

By committing to seeking justice, we are upholding our highest value: our humanity.

It is that humanity which ties us together – and it is that common humanity we are seeking to uplift.

So I ask those in this room to join me as we continue to search for justice in New York City.

It truly is the only pathway worth taking- and together we will reach that higher ground.

Thank you.