“If it’s between Katz and Grasso, I think regardless of the outcome, it’s bad news for Queens voters who want to see decarceration,” said Keli Young, civil rights campaign coordinator for VOCAL-NY, a progressive advocacy group. “Grasso is positioning himself to the right of Katz…and DA Katz is a carceral DA. The best that can […]
After ageing out of foster care, Neely became homeless and began spending nights on the streets, in the subway system and New York City’s shelters. New York City is one of the only places in the United States with a “right to shelter”: by law, authorities must provide a clean bed for the city’s homeless
It has been four days since the chokehold death of 30-year-old Jordan Neely on a subway train in Manhattan. The Manhattan district attorney’s office is investigating and weighing potential charges for the man who put Neely in the chokehold. Multiple law enforcement sources confirm that man is 24-year-old former Marine Daniel Penny. Mayor Eric Adams
For advocates working on issues of poverty and police abuses, there was a simple reason why Neely’s killing happened the way it did and why, in the aftermath, nothing seemed out of the ordinary when the killer was set free: fearmongering rhetoric about homelessness and crime from Democratic New York leaders Gov. Kathy Hochul and
THE INTERCEPT: HOW NOT TO GET ARRESTED AFTER KILLING SOMEONE IN PUBLIC: Read More »
For the majority of my life, from Buffalo to Brooklyn, I’ve been walking over dead bodies. Every day, 17 New Yorkers are lost to the same crisis: preventable overdose. Each person we lose has their own story, their own loved ones and their own past. But until New York State takes action to combat these
Lezandre Kahadu was at the protest and says her son died in jail and she’s still seeking justice. She says Hochul’s planned pushback would be a “smack in her face.” “She’s putting more parents in the boat I’m in,” Kahadu says. “You keep putting these people in a place where people are dying.” Some groups
news 12 the bronx: former inmates and lawmakers hold bail reform rally: Read More »
To Jasmine Budnella, director of drug policy at VOCAL-NY, the rhetoric around breaking up supply chains is a repackaging of the same policies that have historically targeted drug users. “The way that Governor Hochul was framing it was like we would go after the Pablo Escobars of the world. But in reality, we know who
NEW YORK FOCUS: HOCHUL QUIETLY BETS ON POLICE TO BATTLE FENTANYL: Read More »
VOCAL-NY community leader Roger Clark says the Challenging Wrongful Convictions Act would help him clear his name. “If it becomes law today, it will simply open up the door for me to get back into court [to] have a hearing, get discovery and—after my lawyers look through everything—have a long conversation about what’s the best
“Every single day, I have constituents who are emailing me, calling me, texting me in desperation because they’re losing their homes,” Barnhart said. “They did nothing wrong. They’re just told they have to move. Sometimes because they complained about the conditions. … People with lower incomes, people with financial hardships are not there because they
Jasmine Budnella, policy director for the progressive VOCAL-NY, said that she is pleased to see both chambers take some sort of action on the measure, adding the timeline gives advocates more time to mobilize on the issue before the legislative session ends in June. “Given that we’re losing so many people, now is the time
TIMES UNION: LEGISLATURE VOICES SOME SUPPORT FOR OVERDOSE PREVENTION CENTERS: Read More »
