Andrew Yang has emerged as the early betting favorite in the race to become mayor of New York City. As the race unfolds, more journalists and voters have attempted to pin down where Yang stands on key issues. This week, voters around the city learned more about where the former presidential candidate stands on the issue of policing.
During a recent debate, mayoral candidates from across the city were asked about their plans to improve public safety. Yang answered by telling voters that he would go to the police force and saying “your city needs you.”
“The first thing I’d do as mayor is go to our police force and say that ‘Your city needs you. Your city needs you to do your jobs professionally, responsibly and justly.’ But the police are going to be a core way for us to address the public safety concerns that so many New Yorkers have. And let me be clear, defund the police is the wrong approach for New York City,” Yang stated.
Instead of defunding the police, Yang said that he would move toward a “21st century form of policing.” His plan would involve an anti-violence and community safety unit that would work on decreasing gun violence and deter crime rather than reacting to it.
“These are some of the practices that would help make our people safer, but you have to start by saying to the police very clearly that you are vital to our city’s recovery because there is no recovery without public safety,” he explained.
Yang is not the only top candidate to push back against the “Defund The Police” movement. Fellow candidate Eric Adams has also pushed back against the movement.
