Part of the Meeting the Moment compilation, curated by Building Beyond Policing and Democratizing Justice Initiative. Read the entire issue: As the United States careens toward authoritarianism, the role of law enforcement as an enforcer of a specific political agenda — backed by ever-expanding powers, funding, militarization, and surveillance infrastructure — has never been clearer. But this ominous trend is not limited to federal law enforcement under the Trump regime; it m

By Ben Feuerherd in Gothamist Aug 13, 2026 Elected officials and police reform advocates on Thursday called on Mayor Zohran Mamdani to rein in what they call a continuation of broken windows policing under his administration, after they watched criminal court arraignments across the city over several days this week. City Councilmember Sandy Nurse joined the advocates in front of Manhattan Supreme Court on Centre Street, and said she would keep the pressure on City Hall to ena

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, August 13, 2026 Community Groups Decry Escalating Low-Level Arrests Targeting People of Color Under Mayor Mamdani Advocates call for an end to harmful Broken Windows Policing, which has continued to intensify in 2026 New York – On Thursday, community groups, among them Court Watch NYC, Drug Policy Alliance, Freedom Agenda, Justice Committee, The Legal Aid Society, SURJ NYC, VOCAL-NY and others, released data from a week of observing arraignmen

By Liam Quigley and Elizabeth Kim Dozens of community groups sent Mayor Zohran Mamdani a letter on Thursday calling for him to scale back the NYPD’s crackdown on low-level offenses. The groups, largely made up of criminal justice advocates, criticized Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch’s focus on “quality of life” arrests, arguing the approach criminalizes poverty. The letter also called on Mamdani to halt plans to hire 580 new police officers, and said the money should instea

June 2026 Mayor Zohran Mamdani City Hall New York, NY 10007 Cc: First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan, Deputy Mayor of Community Safety Renita Francois, Office of Community Safety Commissioner Ayesha Delany-Brumsey, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch Subject: Opposition to NYPD Headcount Increase and Expansion of Broken Windows Policing Dear Mayor Mamdani, Your election as mayor gave us hope for a genuine break from the failed policing-first approach that has criminalized our communi

My name is Christine Henson. I am the mother of Andrew Henson, who is affected by autism and limited speech abilities. When he was 16, Andrew was assaulted by the NYPD. It is disappointing that Mayor Mamdani’s executive budget invests approximately $12B in the NYPD, increases the officer headcount by 580, and increases funding to the failed B-HEARD program while failing to make real investments in services New Yorkers need. In 2018, I requested a speech evaluation at Andrew

Dear Mayor Mamdani, We, the undersigned, 48 organizations, write to share feedback, concerns and recommendations as you continue to develop the Office of Community Safety (OCS), move towards its expansion into a full Department of Community Safety (DCS), and further shape your administration’s approach to addressing the interconnected issues of homelessness, substance use and unmet mental health needs in ways that increase access to care and improve safety for all. For far to