Press Statements
September 26, 2024
CONTACT: Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org
IN RESPONSE TO CHAOS AT THE TOP OF ADAMS ADMINISTRATION, VOCAL-NY CALLS FOR MAYOR TO RESIGN
NEW YORK — Following the rapidly decreasing capacity of the City government to meet the needs of the City’s most vulnerable residents due to ongoing chaos at City Hall and the mass exodus of administration leaders, VOCAL-NY held an emergency meeting today with more than 30 leaders impacted by the drug war, mass incarceration, homelessness and HIV/AIDS. In response VOCAL-NY released the following statement, attributable to Reginald Brown, Board Chair and Leader at VOCAL-NY:
“Mayor Adams has paralyzed the administration by on-going and escalating scandals that all involve putting his personal interests above those of everyday New Yorkers. We are the people who will pay the price when our needs and demands go unanswered at City Hall. We are calling on Mayor Adams to step aside so that the City can function, and we can focus on saving lives amidst an unrelenting overdose crisis, housing the thousands of New Yorkers languishing in shelters, and ending the atrocities of continued criminalization and incarceration.
We will continue to fight for policies that keep us alive — no matter who is mayor. Whoever comes next in Gracie Mansion must be accountable to the voices and needs of the most marginalized. Mayor Adams’ most important responsibility is to ensure that New Yorkers have a functioning, transparent government – and right now, that means resigning.”
BACKGROUND:
Mayor Adams has already failed the city through his policy decisions. He continues to use the city’s law department to block implementation of broadly supported legislation to curb rising homelessness. Busting encampments and flooding the transit system with cops has not connected people to the housing and other social services he promised. Adams also blocked legislation that would limit the use of solitary confinement in New York jails, as well as avoiding any action to close Rikers by 2027.
VOCAL-NY has long-called for a Caring and Compassionate New Deal for New York City because marginalized New Yorkers are struggling to survive while cycling through our streets, shelters, emergency rooms and jails — and provided with woefully inadequate care at each turn. This New Deal calls for restructuring of city government, permanent removal of law enforcement, courts and jails, and a historic investment in housing, social services, and care.
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