New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie, 38, is a candidate on this 12 months’s crowded mayoral race in opposition to the incumbent Eric Adams.
Myrie represents the twentieth Senate District in Brooklyn, encompassing Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens and Windsor Terrace. A local of Brooklyn, he was raised by immigrant dad and mom from Costa Rica.
Myrie was first elected to workplace in 2019. He served as chair of the Senate’s Elections Committee, authoring the John R. Lewis New York Voting Rights Act, and now heads the Senate Codes Committee. He’s finest identified for his legal justice laws, just like the Clear Slate Act, and his management in preventing the closure of State College of New York (SUNY) Downstate hospital.
Thus far he has raised $785,391 in non-public funds and $2,240,993 via town’s public matching funds program, in response to the newest filings of the New York Metropolis Marketing campaign Finance Board (NYCCFB).
The Amsterdam Information caught up with Myrie over the cellphone. Here’s what he needed to say about his marketing campaign. (Questions and solutions have been shortened or edited for house and readability.)
AmNews: Mayor Eric Adams is often the regulation and order candidate, and to his credit score, shootings have statistically gone down citywide. I might categorize you extra as a legal justice candidate. I used to be questioning in the event you might clarify the distinction between what regulation and order versus legal justice appears to be like like.
Myrie: I feel that the worth of conserving the general public protected is what’s centered in our imaginative and prescient for New York Metropolis and what has been my method as a state legislator as effectively. I grew up within the late 80s and 90s in central Brooklyn, the place I needed to grapple with two realities. I may very well be a sufferer or survivor of gun violence, or I may very well be a sufferer or survivor of police brutality. And people two realities are sadly very acquainted to too many New Yorkers and it’s why we each want strong regulation enforcement that’s held accountable, but in addition approaches that we all know assist drive down crime. Whereas there could also be some rigidity between these two realities, I don’t imagine that they’re at odds. The expectation of the chief of New York Metropolis is that you just have been in a position to maintain each of these truths collectively. We want a system that’s simply, honest, and we additionally have to maintain individuals protected within the right here and now.
AmNews: The How Many Stops Act got here out with a report: Black New Yorkers are nonetheless being stopped disproportionately for stage one and stage two encounters. They’re not essentially being recorded or reported and I used to be questioning in the event you wished to touch upon that info.
Myrie: You already know I feel that it’s vital that now we have the entire info that we want because it pertains to regulation enforcement and transparency in that course of. We noticed traditionally low crime charges within the metropolis in 2018 and in 2019 pre-pandemic, even with the ruling that unconstitutional stops can not proceed. So town can and has previously accomplished this in a means that enables for individuals to not have their constitutional rights violated. However to take action in a means that also retains individuals protected, that will be the expectation of the police division below my administration and I feel that will be the expectation for many New Yorkers.
AmNews: Switching to the Workplace of Gun Violence Prevention, why do you assume there wasn’t a centralized workplace within the state earlier than, contemplating we’ve all the time had a difficulty with violence in our communities? Now that the White Home Workplace of Gun Violence Prevention has been eradicated by Trump, do you’re feeling just like the statewide workplace could be as efficient?
Myrie: I feel it might be much more vital that we set up a state Workplace of Gun Violence Prevention on condition that this president eradicated that nationwide workplace on his first day in workplace. I feel that in an period the place a small share of the blocks in New York Metropolis are chargeable for the skin quantity of gun violence that takes place, we want a coordinated authorities response to this and that’s what an workplace of gun violence prevention would do. It will convey the entire stakeholders to the desk. It will make use of an interagency method, not simply to the execution of our present gun security legal guidelines, however giving us information analysis and coordinating with educators, violence interrupters, medical professionals, and college students.
The truth that now we have not had this already, I feel, speaks to the neglect that lots of our communities have felt for many years. We’ve identified the issues that may assist us get out of this disaster. We’ve been screaming for them for a few years. We’ve marched for them for a few years and I’m actually proud that now we have been a frontrunner on this challenge within the state legislature and that we’re hopefully going to see this workplace lastly created and can’t be undone by government order however enshrined in our statute. In order that regardless of who’s governor, regardless of who’s president, this workplace will stay and that we’ll have an actual give attention to stopping a number of the most disruptive crimes that we see in our metropolis.
AmNews: What technique would you utilize to cut back gun violence and gang violence amongst youth? Would you assist ending the gang database?
Myrie: So after I represented Brownsville within the state Senate, we labored with many group companions to flood essentially the most violent blocks with companies. We labored in tandem with the 73rd Precinct and plenty of different violence interrupters and social service suppliers to make sure that we gave these blocks the eye that they wanted. We noticed, in these durations the place there was a concerted effort, we noticed the incidents of violence go down. Town has not too long ago adopted that mannequin in some precincts, the Each Block Counts initiative, and I’d prefer to develop that to all of our precincts the place we’re seeing the very best charges of gun violence. And that it’s an method that’s knowledgeable by group expertise, however that has additionally been demonstrated that it could actually convey down crime.
I feel that our younger individuals want options. Now we have informed them to not be gangs. Now we have informed them to not decide up weapons, however now we have not given them after faculty programming. One of many main initiatives that I wanna get accomplished in my first time period in Metropolis Corridor is to supply common after faculty for all of our children. I would like 50,000 extra summer time youth employment slots in order that no younger individual is on the waitlist and has that chance. I additionally need to create some pathways for our younger individuals who faculty will not be the perfect route for them.
I feel that the gang database has offered regulation enforcement with a instrument to convey down incidents of violence and I feel that it is a crucial instrument for them to make the most of. Like with every little thing that regulation enforcement does, I feel it’s vital that now we have paired that with accountability. Now we have seen that this civilian criticism assessment board (CCRB) has not acquired the quantity of sources that it deserves over the previous 12 months, so I plan to extend the sources that it has in order that it could actually maintain officers accountable.
AmNews: Proof sharing and discovery in a well timed method. Might you simply clarify a bit of bit your function in that laws and what the pushback is in opposition to it?
Myrie: Yeah, you recognize this can be a widespread sense method to how we implement discovery right here within the state and town. The invention regulation requires that defendants have the proof that they’re being charged with and we modified that course of in 2019 to make sure that they have been getting that proof in a well timed style, and never making life-changing selections with out having that proof earlier than them.
What we’ve seen over the previous 5 years is that the timeline has been impacted as a result of the police division and the prosecutor’s workplace should not exchanging the data in a well timed style. Prosecutors don’t have entry to the proof that the police division has of their custody so I proposed a regulation that will give the prosecutors that entry. That info may be turned over faster and accomplished so in a smoother style in order that they weren’t having circumstances dismissed due to a technicality. We’re additionally having defendants on condition that info within the well timed style, we’ve truly gotten assist from some prosecutors and public defenders on this, which to me demonstrates that it is likely one of the widespread sense approaches to us bettering our discovery loss.
AmNews: What may be accomplished on a metropolis and state stage to assist immigrants wrongly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)?
Myrie: We’re in a troublesome spot as a result of there are some jurisdictional boundaries that now we have as a metropolis and state because it pertains to the federal authorities, however I’ve been proud to be a sponsor on a state invoice referred to as New York for All, which might shield New Yorkers from any ICE involvement on state owned, and in state run properties and services. I feel that there are some alternatives for us to do one thing related on town stage. You already know our sanctuary metropolis legal guidelines proper now are below query as a result of this Mayor has put them below query, however they used to not be a political soccer. It was once protected by Democratic and Republican Mayors alike as a result of they understood the worth of defending susceptible New Yorkers.
I personally, because the son of two Costa Rican immigrants, who had me once they weren’t documented, really feel this in a really private means. Most individuals come right here to work and I wish to see one thing referred to as Work NYC, the place we would offer New York Metropolis work permits for people who have been looking for asylum and permit for them to work. That’s what my dad and mom got here right here for, that’s what the overwhelming majority of individuals come right here for, that’s what I’d prefer to institute as the subsequent mayor.
We gotta be clear within the face of what’s taking place on this Trump administration. He’s sending subpoenas to our metropolis lodges. He’s not simply asking for info on asylum-seekers. He seeks info on town employees that assist them. It is a main breach and an unprecedented step that we can not afford to cower within the face of, and I’d be utilizing the bully pulpit day by day if I’ve to face up for our immigrant group. And to accomplice with our state and federal colleagues to make sure that we’re utilizing each instrument that’s at our disposal to guard New Yorkers.
AmNews: As a Brooklyn man, does it harm that Assemblymember Bichotte Hermelyn, the Brooklyn Dems’ celebration boss, would endorse Cuomo over you?
Myrie: You already know, I feel each elected chief is gonna decide on who they assist for mayor. We’re nonetheless early on this course of. Voters are simply starting to concentrate and I’m excited concerning the endorsements that we acquired to this point and the endorsements that we’ll be getting down the road. An important factor to me at this second is speaking what my imaginative and prescient is to New Yorkers and I’ve been a proud Brooklyn consultant. I’m born and raised right here and I might be very a lot trying ahead to speaking that imaginative and prescient not simply to the good individuals of Brooklyn however to each New York Metropolis resident.
AmNews: How do you handle to steadiness interesting to each Jewish and Muslim voters and their considerations over what’s taking place with Mahmoud Khalil?
Myrie: I feel that each one New Yorkers are watching what this administration is doing and shocked that they might ignore our structure, that they might ignore due course of. I feel that, no matter how individuals really feel concerning the content material of speech, individuals do care deeply concerning the course of. Seeing what occurs when that’s disregarded and the way slippery a slope that it may be, my job as the subsequent mayor is to maintain all New Yorkers protected and to take pleasure in feeling protected and are free to specific their opinions with out consequence from the federal government when that doesn’t cross any legal line. So I feel it’s actually vital at this second to face up for our structure and for our protections and that’s what I might plan to do as mayor.
AmNews: Is there anyone you may see your self finally cross endorsing with in direction of June?
Myrie: I feel it’s nonetheless early. As you recognize, we’re making an attempt to get on the poll. All of us. I feel after that poll is solidified, there may be conversations, however in the meanwhile I’m very a lot targeted on simply making an attempt to verify we get on the poll.
