NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Mayor Eric Adams announced Friday that his administration will host a high-level summit at Gracie Mansion over the weekend to “find common ground” on improving public safety while addressing issues with the criminal justice system.
The mayor is inviting stakeholders—including law enforcement, district attorneys, defense lawyers and community leaders—to his official residence in Yorkville. He wants creative solutions for issues like repeat offenders and mental illness, as well as recommendations for what he can say to state lawmakers when they return to session in Albany.
The objective of the summit is to “identify actionable solutions to ensure that New Yorkers get the safety and justice they deserve out of the criminal justice system,” according to the mayor’s office. Adams said his administration’s top priority is “making the city’s criminal justice system more effective, efficient and accountable.”
Amid heightened concerns about crime in the city, Adams hopes the summit is an opportunity for groups with “different positions” to trade ideas on public safety and criminal justice, which he called the “prerequisites to prosperity.”
In a one-on-one interview with 1010 WINS that will air Friday, Adams said there are plenty of problems to tackle, including the “bottlenecking of the criminal justice system” during the pandemic.
“By bringing all of us in the room—those who have criticized our policy, supported our policy—let’s get around the table and see what do we do together to reach one common ground, and that’s to make sure New Yorkers are safe from actual crimes and feeling safe,” the mayor said.
Adams said a major point of discussion will be how to support people with mental health issues.
“When you look at the common denominator of many of these incidents, it is dealing with those who are dealing with mental health illnesses or are dealing with crises,” the mayor said, citing recent assaults in the subway and the fatal stabbing of FDNY EMS Lt. Alison Russo in Astoria last month.
Adams said the violence is creating a “spirit of uncertainty” in the city, as are quality-of-life issues his administration is working to tackle, including fare evasion in the transit system and groups of ATV riders on the streets.
“We can bring down the numbers all we want,” the mayor said. “We have a decrease in homicides, decrease in shootings. We have an increase in police response and arrests in the subway system. Those things are great, but if we don’t match the actual crime decrease with New Yorkers feeling safe, then we’re going to fail. I have to do both.”
According to the latest NYPD crime data through Oct. 16, murders are down nearly 14.8% in the city compared to this time last year, while shootings and shooting victims have dropped 13.6% and 12.5%, respectively.
However, other crimes are seeing year-to-date increases, including robbery (up 34.2%), felony assault (up 14.5%), burglary (up 30.6%), grand larceny (up 40.6%), grand larceny auto (up 35.7%) and transit crime (up 41.4%). Overall, major index crimes are up 31% this year compared to last.
Norman Siegel, a former executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, welcomed this weekend’s summit.
“Dialogues like these — especially among New Yorkers who have differences of opinions as to why our criminal justice system is not just nor effective — will help us come together and begin to change the system for the better,” Siegel said in a statement.
“I’m looking forward to productive, important and lively conversations this weekend, and I know we’re all coming to the table with a shared goal: Building a safer, more just city,” Siegel said.
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