Section 2

Democratize Public Safety: 

The Coalition for a Democratic and Just New York affirms that public safety is a human right, and this principle must be embedded within a police department regulated with democratic sovereignty. This means that our traditional police department must transform to serve all citizens (including African Diasporic citizens), and its power must be derived from the consent of the indigenous citizens of New York City. 

To this end, we propose reforming the New York City Charter to establish an elected civilian Public Safety Council that empowers voters via democratic self-governance and a proportional representation system for each Borough. In keeping with the principle of democratic self-governance and popular sovereignty, the voters will give the Public Safety Council the following authority: 

Implement administrative policies governing oversight of operations, disciplinary actions, and the NYC Police Department's budget. 

Align the NYC Police Department’s Budget with a Community Needs Assessment and a Community-led Participatory Budget enacted by democratically elected Community Police Precincts. The budget will enable community residents to enhance public safety consistent with a “Domestic Peace Agenda” that incorporates community policing, cure-violence prevention initiatives, and innovative responder programs, among other things. 

The power to hold public hearings with representatives from the Community Police Precincts and the city council to assess the competency of the Mayor's nominee for Police Commissioner. 

Hire Members of the Civilian Review Board and empower this civilian body with adjudicatory power and the enforcement of final disciplinary action. The Civilian Review Board will have full access to all information originating from any investigations concerning a commissioner, administrator, or officer’s misconduct. Authority to enact a residency law to prioritize hiring police officers from the five (5) boroughs, consistent with the democratic and popular sovereignty needed for public safety. 

Authority to collaborate with the New York City Department of Education and City University of New York (e.g., John Jay College) to co-create five Early College, Community Policing High Schools dedicated to teaching and learning police science and law. As envisioned, each borough would accommodate a Community Policing High School to foster an intergenerational commitment to public safety.

Democratize Housing and Land Use: 

The Coalition for a Democratic and Just New York charges that traditional and faulty housing policies prioritize a mission to incentivize housing development for wealthy citizens and denizens (e.g., A wealthy Trust Fund generation) at the expense of indigenous working-class and working-poor citizens. In addition, an insufficient supply of affordable housing, restrictive zoning, low turnover rates, and a “rent-burden” causing most citizens to spend more than 30% of their income on housing, have led to the population displacement of indigenous African Diasporic residents from disinvested communities. Moreover, when these challenges are compounded with the intergenerational transmission of racialized and economic inequality (e.g., redlining), whole neighborhoods are negatively affected by pervasive resegregation, benefiting the wealthy. 

To address the affordability crisis that contributes to housing insecurity and a depression of generational wealth, our coalition proposes the following: 

An immediate moratorium on the sale of N.Y. City In-Rem property to private developers, including private equity funds (vulture capitalists). 

Orchestrating the power inherent in New York City’s Bank deposits to incentivise an equitable use of the Community Reinvestment Act, that captures REOs, In-Rem, and short sales for the equitable sale and affordable purchase of 1-3 family homes to benefit indigenous youthful families residing in traditionally distressed communities. 

Enacting the creation of a Community Land and Conservation Trust that aligns with a coterminous NYC Community Board jurisdiction. As proposed, the CLCT will control and distribute properties through a public benefit corporation (e.g., the NYC Housing Trust Fund) and a decentralized Community Development Corporation within each Community Planning Board. 

Expand and sustain affordable housing ownership opportunities to enhance generational wealth by enacting an equitable economic democracy mission that includes Limited Equity Cooperatives (e.g., the Mitchell-Lama Housing Act). The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that far too many healthcare workers and other first responders have been displaced from homes that are in proximity to healthcare institutions serving working-class and working-poor residents. This population displacement of essential first responders disrupts the delivery of quality care while diminishing an affordable, livable lifestyle for these crucial public servants. Our coalition urges the next mayor to enact a public policy that prioritizes the construction of workforce housing for healthcare workers, childcare workers, teachers, residential police, and other essential workers. Affordable, high-quality housing will enhance public safety for all New Yorkers during a pandemic or a natural disaster.