Governor will Work with State Legislature to Get It Done Next Week
Reform 50-a; Ban Chokeholds; Prohibit Race-Based 911 Calls; Appoint Attorney General as Independent Prosecutor for Police Murders
Announces Lowest Number of Deaths and Hospitalizations Since Covid-19 Pandemic Began
Confirms 1,075 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State - Bringing Statewide Total to 376,208; New Cases in 44 Counties
Governor Cuomo: "Coronavirus was a medical issue, was a public health issue, was an economic issue, but more than anything it was a social issue. It was about how people behave, right. And to address coronavirus what we really had to do was change society. It was not a government operation. It was not something I could do governmentally. People had to do it. Government could provide leadership, and we had an operational component, but it was about people making the changes that had to be made. They had to accept it, they had to understand it, they had to change their behavior. That is a monumental undertaking, always."
Cuomo: "Mr. Floyd's murder was the breaking point of a long list of deaths that were unnecessary and which were abusive. That is a fact and people are saying, enough is enough. That is a fact. What people are saying is, we must change and we must stop the abuse - and that is a fact. And New York should be at the forefront of that. That has always been New York's legacy as the progressive capital. We are the ones who hold the standard of what is the right progressive reform and New York should pass next week what we call the "Say Their Name" Reform Agenda."
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the "Say Their Name" reform agenda following the murder of George Floyd and an ongoing pattern of police brutality against minority communities across the nation. The Governor said he will work with the State Legislature to get these policies done next week.
The list of policy priorities builds on earlier proposals he called for in the immediate aftermath of the killing of George Floyd and prior executive actions he has taken including appointing the Attorney General as a special prosecutor in matters relating to the deaths of unarmed civilians caused by law enforcement.
The 'Say Their Name' Reform agenda includes:
- Allow for transparency of prior disciplinary records of law enforcement officers by reforming 50-a of the civil rights law;
- Banning chokeholds by law enforcement officers;
- Prohibiting false race-based 911 reports and making them a crime; and
- Designating the Attorney General as an independent prosecutor for matters relating to the deaths of unarmed civilians caused by law enforcement.
