New York City CouncilKEW GARDENS HILLS- Assemblymember Daniel Rosenthal and Council Member Rory I. Lancman issued the following statement regarding news that the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) approved dual left turn signals on Main Street onto Jewel Avenue in Kew Gardens Hills. The intersection is at the center of a major traffic corridor that has proven to be dangerous to drivers and pedestrians alike. READ MORE
Lancman: It Is Time To Pass My Legislation Banning Police Chokeholds
NEW YORK – Council Member Rory I. Lancman, chair of the Committee on the Justice System, issued the following statement in response to a video in today’s Daily News showing a detective using a banned chokehold against a man after being called to address a noise complaint.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. READ MORE
Lancman Commends New Pilot Project Studying Impact of NYPD Using Body Cameras at Low-Level Encounters
NEW YORK – Council Member Rory I. Lancman, chair of the Committee on the Justice System, issued the following statement in response to a ruling from U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres mandating a proposal for a new pilot project for NYPD officers to use body-worn cameras earlier in encounters with the public, during so-called Level 1 Stops. Level 1 stops occur where officers have an objective credible reason to stop an individual and request information but may not seek permission to search or ask accusatory questions. READ MORE
Lancman and Rosenthal Commend 107th Precinct for Adding School Crossing Guard to Local Schools
NEW YORK – Council Member Rory I. Lancman and Assembly Member Daniel Rosenthal issued the following statement regarding news that the NYPD 107th Precinct has officially assigned a School Crossing Guard to Yeshiva Ketana of Queens and Al-Mamoor School in Fresh Meadows. In response to community concerns, Lancman and Rosenthal wrote a letter to Commissioner O’Neill in June to urge the Police Department to add a School Crossing Guard at the intersection of 78th Rd and Parsons Boulevard. READ MORE
Lancman Urges Mayor to Take Additional Action Beyond NYPD New Fare Evasion Policy
NEW YORK – Council Member Rory I. Lancman, Chair of the Committee on the Justice System, issued the following statement in response to news today that the Police Department will no longer arrest individuals for fare evasion, who have a summons warrant on their record:
“New York City should not be arresting or prosecuting anyone for fare evasion. READ MORE
Lancman Applauds DA Vance’s New Policy to End Most Marijuana Prosecutions in Manhattan, Encourages City’s DAs to Follow Suit
NEW YORK – Council Member Rory I. Lancman, Chair of the Committee on the Justice System, issued the following statement in response to Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance’s new policy, which takes effect today, to decline to prosecute most marijuana possession and smoking cases:
“The police can’t police what prosecutors won’t prosecute. With his new marijuana policy today, District Attorney Vance is using his authority and discretion to make our justice system fairer, while preventing expensive and needless incarceration. READ MORE
Federal Court Disregards Persistent Anti-Choice Harassment at Reproductive Health Services Clinic in Queens in Blow to Women’s Health and Freedom
NEW YORK – A federal court yesterday ruled against the State of New York in a suit brought on behalf of patients and staff of Choices Women’s Medical Center in Jamaica, Queens, who for years have endured a campaign of harassment, intimidation, and obstruction aimed at preventing women from obtaining healthcare services, including constitutionally protected abortion services. The suit, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, sought primarily to enforce the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, the state New York Clinic Access Act, and the New York City Clinic Access Act, which together essentially prohibit the actual or threatened use of force, obstruction, or harassment to injure, intimidate, or interfere with a person accessing reproductive health services. READ MORE
Lancman to Mayor on City’s New Marijuana Enforcement Policy: “The Train Has Left the Station. Get On It.”
NEW YORK – Council Member Rory I. Lancman, chair of the Committee on the Justice System, issued the following statement in response to Mayor de Blasio’s new marijuana enforcement policy:
“The Mayor’s new marijuana enforcement policy is a marginal improvement, but a real missed opportunity to fundamentally change how the City polices marijuana possession and smoking.
“No one should be arrested for smoking marijuana, period. READ MORE
Lancman Announces Council Hearing to Examine How City’s District Attorneys are Addressing Opioid Crisis
NEW YORK – The Committee on the Justice System will hold an oversight hearing to examine how the City’s District Attorneys are addressing the opioid crisis. The hearing will take place on Thursday, June 21 at 1:00pm.
The Committee hearing follows a recent New York Times report that outlined how District Attorneys around the country are increasingly treating opioid overdose deaths as homicides and, in turn, are prosecuting individuals who are not actually dealers, many of whom are addicts themselves. READ MORE
Lancman Blasts Mayor’s Fare Evasion Policy After Immigrant New Yorker Detained for Eight Months Following ‘Theft of Services’ Convictions
NEW YORK – Council Member Rory I. Lancman, Chair of the Committee on the Justice System, issued the following statement is response to a recent court case, reported by the New York Law Journal, where an immigrant New Yorker was detained for eight months while facing deportation after convictions for theft of services, more commonly known as fare evasion. READ MORE