Advocacy

Two years later, it’s still hard to believe the challenges we faced in the lead up to, and implementation of, the 2020 Census: decreased funding for the Census Bureau, the politically-motivated introduction of a citizenship question, the roll-out of a new online survey, and of course, the COVID-19 pandemic, which had taken hold of New York City right as the 2020 Census launched.

We are excited to announce a $100,000 commitment toward Census 2020 organizing in Brooklyn. With grants to the Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College and the New York Immigration Coalition, we will help to ensure that the $600 billion in federal funding allocated through the Census count information is distributed fairly and accurately.

2020 is fast approaching, especially in the eyes of those involved in the upcoming census. Here in Brooklyn, this means organizing and informing Brooklynites about the importance of the census in order to achieve an accurate count in two years.

In a surprise announcement this week the Mayor indicated that the projected 10-year timeline to closer Rikers Island may be shortened as he and newly appointed City Council Speaker Corey Johnson announced a public review process of four alternate detention facility sites near local courthouses. 

Today, together with criminal justice advocates across New York State, we are celebrating a landmark reform victory: the State Legislature has passed legislation to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 18-years-old. 

All across New York City, criminal justice advocates and organizers are celebrating one of the biggest victories in recent memory: the Mayor’s announcement of a plan to close Rikers Island by 2027.