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New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian

New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian

STATE BLACK, PUERTO RICAN, HISPANIC, AND ASIAN LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS LEGISLATIVE OFFICE BUILDING ● ROOM 442-A, ALBANY, NY 12248 (518) 455-5347 ● [email protected]

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS Assemblywoman Chairperson

Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE First Vice-Chair

Senator Luis Sepulveda MEMBERS OF THE BLACK, PUERTO RICAN, HISPANIC & ASIAN Second Vice-Chair LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS CALL FOR POLICING REFORM Assemblyman Victor Pichardo Secretary

Senator Brian A. Benjamin NEW YORK, NY (May 28, 2020) – Over the last several days, Black Americans—and Treasurer communities of color throughout New York State and the nation—have been Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou emotionally exhausted by the consistent dehumanization of our people. Parliamentarian

Assemblywoman Latrice M. Walker Chaplain In , we witnessed video of a white woman feigning fear of a Black man who simply requested she follow the law. Filing a false police report is a crime. Further, ASSEMBLYMEMBERS , Speaker weaponizing the use of the police out of racial bias is racist and should be considered a Carmen E. Arroyo hate crime in New York State. We are currently witnessing violence and unrest in Jeffrion L. Aubry Minneapolis after the brutal killing of George Floyd by now-fired police officers. And Rodneyse Bichotte there are countless examples of state-sanctioned violence—namely against Black men— Michael A. Blake perpetuated by officers across the country, with a new horrible story reaching Vivian E. Cook mainstream attention seemingly every day. Taylor Darling The Members of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus believe that we are long overdue for police reform in this country, Inez E. Dickens and that New York State should take the lead. The trust between officers and Charles D. Fall communities of color has eroded, and nothing short of reform can begin to rebuild that trust. David F. Gantt Pamela J. Hunter Alicia L. Hyndman In New York State, we have the opportunity to demand greater accountability from law Kimberly Jean-Pierre enforcement and those who would seek to exploit them with racist intent. The Caucus has long-advocated for several measures that would bring equity and accountability to Walter Mosley the way we police our towns and cities. Felix Ortiz Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes N. Nick Perry We demand support for and enactment of (1) legislation that would make it a hate crime J. Gary Pretlow to issue a false 9-1-1 complaint; (2) the repeal of 50-a which allows police officer misconduct to be shielded from public view; (3) legislation to codify the Office of the Diana C. Richardson Special Prosecutor to investigate and prosecute all criminal cases against law Jose Rivera Robert J. Rodriguez enforcement; (4) the Police Statistics and Transparency (STAT) Act; and (5) any and all legislation that would prohibit law enforcement from profiling on the basis of race, Nader J. Sayegh ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. We must seek accountability from our government if we are to maintain trust with the SENATORS communities we represent. The lives, well-being, mental, emotional and physical health Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Leader of our people demand nothing less; thus, we call on the Governor and all our partners in government to join us in supporting these measures. Robert Jackson -- The New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus is a sixty-two-member body of state legislators representing a quarter of residents across the State of New York from , the metro New York City area, and upstate. Kevin S. Parker ### Gustavo Rivera James Sanders, Jr. Jose M. Serrano Kevin Thomas

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Kyle H. Ishmael, Esq.

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