New York Mayor Bill De Blasio has announced that he plans to end the city’s curfew a day early. In addition, he has announced that he hopes to shift New York Police Department funding towards youth and community programs.
“We are lifting the curfew, effective immediately. Yesterday and last night we saw the very best of our city,” he tweeted.
“People from the community, civilians deeply steeped in their communities with the ability to bring the concerns of the community to the highest levels of the NYPD, to bring back answers including the status on disciplinary cases and changes in policing that needs to be done to allow better policing, fairer policing,” he later told reporters.
Saying “I hear you” is not enough. Here’s what I’m doing right now to make our city more just: pic.twitter.com/PoTu1xgxP2
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) June 7, 2020
“The details will be worked out in the budget process in the weeks ahead. But I want people to understand that we are committed to shifting resources to ensure that the focus is on our young people,” he added.
This announcement comes just a day after Black Lives Matter organizers put together a citywide petition demanding that the city cut its police budget by $1 billion. NYPD currently uses $6 billion of the city’s $90 billion budget. At the moment, it is unclear how much and how exactly the funds will be redistributed.
The topic of police funding will surely be one for discussion in the coming weeks as the city enters phase one of reopening.
“New York City’s restart begins today. It’s been a long road to get here. New Yorkers have earned it day by day,” De Blasio tweeted.
With the city inching back to a new normal and more people outside, demonstrations and calls for change will only mount.
