“Hell No to Cuomo 2.0“
Governor Kathy Hochul’s leaked 10 point plan to make changes to Bail and Criminal Justice reforms passed in 2019 is being met with stiff opposition from Assemblmembers and Senators from New York City, and from criminal justice advocates.
Leading the outcray was Brooklyn Democratic Assemblymember Latrice Walker, who helped create the bail reform laws that were passed three years ago. Walker, who opposes any changes which would allow judges to have more discretion in setting cash bail, threatened a hunger strike. “I am prepared to go on a hunger strike to make sure that this does not happen. When our rights are under attack, what are we going to do? Stand up and fight back.” said Assemblymember Walker.
Progressive democrats and criminal justice groups, also oppose any changes to Bail and Criminal Justice reforms. Marvin Mayfield, with the Center for Community Alternatives, said that advocates felt “Blindsided, bamboozled, betrayed, all of those came to mind.
“We want to let the public know that bail reform is working. There is no data that says that it has contributed to any uptick in crime.” Mayfield, spent 11 months in Rikers Island jail because he could not meet bail, charged with a robbery he says he did not commit, but he pled guilty on advice from his attorney.
Mayfield and other democrats, point to data which shows that crime is up in other parts of New York State where bail reforms were not changed. A similar argument has been made here in Westchester, where crime is down across the county, and in Yonkers.
The NY Civil Liberties Union also opposes any changes. “Is this governor going to use her budget to roll back some of the most important civil rights victories in New York’s history,” asked Jared Trujillo, NYCLU.
Brooklyn defenders posted, “We must not meet this moment by going backwards and returning to historically failed, retrograde policies that target Black and Latinx youth with adult prosecution – this will only cause harm to youth and communities.”
Hochul will attempt to stuff her proposed changes to Bail and Criminal Justice reforms into the State budget, which makes it more difficult for an Assemblymember or State Senator to vote no against the entire state spending plan.
But opponents to Hochul’s plan are saying that they well do just that, including State Senator Jabari Brisport. “Up until last week, I thought there was a difference between former Gov. [Andrew] Cuomo and our current governor. I will not vote for any budget that has rollbacks.”
Hochul’s 10-point plan calls for
- Allowing judges to see the criminal history of defendants charged with serious crimes.
- Make repeat offenses subject to arrest and bail-eligible
- Make some gun charges subject to arrest and not just a ticket, and make some gun charges require bail.
- Unspecified changes to discovery laws, which currently make it more difficult to see a defendants prior criminal record, and changes to the “Raise the Age” law.
