Statement from DeAnna Hoskins, President & CEO of JustLeadershipUSA on the New York Police Department’s Recent Press Conference on Bail Reform

“The NYPD’s attack on bail reform is outrageous — but not surprising. Those who benefit economically from imprisoning Black and Brown bodies — including police departments, district attorneys’ offices and the bail bonds industry — are circling their wagons to protect their profits. They are resorting to the same tired, fear-mongering tactics in an effort to divide us and take us backward.

“Opponents of bail reform want to use a one-month spike in crime to overturn a law that barely has been implemented. They point to one month of crime statistics to scare the public into retreating from commonsense bail reforms while we point to decades of experience and data that prove pretrial detention is not only unjust, it’s an unnecessary waste of taxpayers’ money — to the tune of $2.5 billion each year.

“Make no mistake: Those who have been pocketing billions on the backs of Black and Brown people victimized by the cash bail system are not going quietly retreating. They are holding news conferences, spreading sensationalized stories and outright lying in an effort to hang on to their profits.

“As formerly incarcerated people and directly impacted community members, we demand that public officials and elected leaders stand with us in support of the bail reforms passed because those reforms address the systemic marginalization of Black and Brown communities and have already helped reunite families in just one month.

“Rather than attempt to roll back these reforms, our public officials and elected leaders should be asking why those who continue to be held in pretrial detention are disproportionally Black and Brown people. Instead of trying to lock up more of us, the NYPD should investigate the department’s practices and policies and do the hard work of dismantling its inherent racism.”

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