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Rush to Judgment

State Senate Democrats have apparently settled on ([link removed][UNIQID]) changes to the 2019 bail reform law, which eliminated the possibility of cash bail except for defendants facing a narrow list of charges. Critics say last year's changes in the bail law deprived judges of discretion to protect public safety and are major contributors to a spike in crime: Through February 9, index felony crime was up 16 percent in the city.

The governor has signaled he supports ([link removed][UNIQID]) the Senate move. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, however, is suggesting everyone slow down. After all, the reforms are only 45 days old ([link removed][UNIQID]) .

The mainstream critics of last year's criminal justice reform bills admit that some reform ([link removed][UNIQID]) to the state's previous bail and discovery laws was necessary—it just went too far, they say. In other words, after tolerating a system that, by their own admission, perverted justice for decades, ([link removed][UNIQID]#download) they now want to change it before even two months of crime data are in.

Fact is, the state's old bail law never explicitly empowered judges to detain people before trial out of concern for “dangerousness.” Instead, according to fans of the old system, flight risk was used as a crude proxy for dangerousness and cash bail was the tool to address it—at least for those too poor to pay.

Last year, some in the legislature did consider adding a dangerousness provision to the bail reforms. Critics say lawmakers rushed the process and ignored that option. The process certainly was quick. But it's also true that giving judges discretion to determine dangerousness is very tricky territory ([link removed][UNIQID]) , especially when tabloid newspapers are prone to excoriate jurists who let the “wrong people” out.

New York's 2019 reforms might need revising; they might even have been rushed. Yet common sense suggests the stupidest thing to do now is rush the fixes, especially when the conversation around crime has become so unhinged. A Nassau County official falsely blamed ([link removed][UNIQID]) the state's discovery reforms for the murder of a witness. The head of one police union has declared war ([link removed][UNIQID]) on City Hall. Another police union leader says the bail law is not to blame, rather it's Bill de Blasio's “failed leadership,” but he also says the previous administration's stop-and-frisk policy—which de Blasio all but ended—was “misguided ([link removed][UNIQID]) .”

And then there are the crime stats. Yes, the numbers in several categories are up ([link removed][UNIQID]) compared with last year. But several index crimes rose in 2019 ([link removed][UNIQID]) , before the reform laws kicked. Some elements of the 2020 spike, like the 65 percent increase in auto thefts, seem to reflect national trends ([link removed][UNIQID]) . And temporary spikes have happened before. The Bloomberg era is remembered for a steady fall in crime reports, but three of Mayor Mike's years saw significant bumps ([link removed][UNIQID]) in the murder count—11 percent in 2006, 5 percent in 2008 and 14 percent in 2010. Does anyone remember a “public safety emergency”
([link removed][UNIQID]) being declared then?

- Jarrett Murphy, executive editor


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** Top Stories

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New NYPD Unit Will Crack Down on Drivers Who Fail to Yield — But Nearly Half of Those Tickets Are Still Tossed Out ([link removed][UNIQID])
In his State of the City speech, Mayor de Blasio announced a new NYPD Vision Zero Unit to crack down on dangerous driving behavior, like failure to yield. But data shows many drivers who get summonses for that offense face no penalties.

Levin: City’s Approach to Homelessness Still Lacks Clarity ([link removed][UNIQID])
'Some of it has to do with doubling down on existing policies but a lot of it has to do with things that we've been advocating for for years that are still not done. A lot of them are things we've been talking about for five, six years.'

Opportunity Zones Show Scant Impact in the Bronx as Key Deadline Passes ([link removed][UNIQID])
Brokers predicted that the kind of investments the tax incentive could attract would create an entirely new borough. But a year later, the fervor around opportunity zones in the Bronx has shrunk from a clap to a whisper.

Film Offers Instruction on Self-Defense Against Urban Displacement ([link removed][UNIQID])
A new short film extracts lessons from the experiences of community advocates in the Bronx, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles to inform neighborhood efforts at survival.

Homelessness Lurks Behind the Scenes of New Hampshire’s Primary ([link removed][UNIQID])
New Hampshire is one of the least-poor states. But pockets of need and rising concerns about homelessness hint at vulnerabilities the mainstream campaign narrative overlooks.

In Election Rematch, Brooklyn Congressional Candidates Serve Up Housing Policy ([link removed][UNIQID])
Rep. Yvette Clarke has proposed changing the way affordable-housing rents are set, while challenger Adem Bunkeddeko proposes a sweeping plan to build low-income housing.

This Year, Running for President Means Talking About the Housing Crisis ([link removed][UNIQID])
More than in any campaign in recent memory, housing has become a key topic in the 2020 presidential race, reflecting a national housing crisis spanning from megacities like New York and San Francisco to smaller urban centers like Cleveland and rural areas like Randolph County, Georgia.


** City Views
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An Open Letter on Policing the Subway ([link removed][UNIQID])
'Creating financial barriers through such ongoing policies as fare increases for hardworking, low-income New Yorkers who contribute to the economic, cultural, and social fabric of our city is not for the public’s benefit. '

Bond Act is the First Step to NY Dealing With Climate Risk ([link removed][UNIQID])
'Rather than waiting for the next disaster to happen, we must shift our focus from conducting emergency repairs to proactively building resilient infrastructure.'

In Bushwick, the City Squashed Democracy, Again ([link removed][UNIQID])
'In a clear example of apathy towards the people they represent, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration dismissed yet another community-driven proposal.'

Unfairness and Opacity Surround a Tree Planting in the Bronx ([link removed][UNIQID])
'We requested soil studies, the planting of native trees, and a public meeting. We were ignored.'

Sponsored
[link removed][UNIQID]
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** Voices of New York
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Africans in the Bronx Find Family on the Soccer Field ([link removed][UNIQID])
Originally dubbed the African Diaspora Youth Sports Club, that team is now called the United Africa Football Club—a multilingual group that has won seven annual soccer tournaments.

Tommy Tomita, Tour Guide Who Linked Japan and Harlem, Dies at 80 ([link removed][UNIQID])
Tommy Tomita, a tour guide who dedicated his career to building a cultural bridge between his native Japan and adopted home of Harlem, passed away on January 11 at the age of 80, Shukan NY Seikatsu reports.


** Una ciudad sin limites
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Muchos latinos aún creen que la pregunta sobre ciudadanía es parte del censo 2020 ([link removed][UNIQID])
Más de la mitad de los ciudadanos estadounidenses de ascendencia latina creen que el censo de 2020 incluirá una pregunta sobre la ciudadanía, una creencia errónea cuya aparente popularidad ha preocupado profundamente a los defensores y funcionarios.

La cobertura de salud aumenta para los latinos, pero sigue rezagada con respecto a otros grupos ([link removed][UNIQID])
Los latinos tuvieron las tasas más altas de población no asegurada tanto en el país como en el área metropolitana de Nueva York.

Lo que necesita saber sobre: Carga pública ([link removed][UNIQID])
Desde que salió a la luz esta regulación en 2019, las nuevas reglas han difundido temor entre inmigrantes, incluso entre aquellos a las cuales esta regla no cobijaba.

Lo que realmente importa: los contendientes demócratas en armas ([link removed][UNIQID])
En City Limits comparamos las propuestas de los candidatos en cada uno de estos temas y nos centramos en los candidatos que tuvieron más éxito en las encuestas nacionales. Hoy, es la política de violencia con armas de fuego.


City Stat

The number of new building permits issued by the city's Department of Buildings fell 30 percent during the first four months of the current fiscal year (July-October 2019) compared with the previous year, from 33,471 to 23,457.

Read the Preliminary Fiscal 2020 Mayor's Management Report for the DOB. ([link removed][UNIQID])
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