Civil Rights, Public Safety, and Criminal Justice Reform
As Mayor, Richard will close Rikers Island and build better connections between the NYPD and the community.
- Quickly close Rikers Island prison, without building new jails, by instead imprisoning only the 20% of prisoners actually convicted of a crime.
- End bail, except for prisoners who pose a danger or a flight risk; expand electronic monitoring; and finally allow bail to be paid easily by credit or debit cards.
- Work with police officers on better de-escalation protocols to avoid deadly force.
- Expand training and screening to promote better police interactions with New Yorkers, and end discriminatory targeting of innocent people.
- Fight against discrimination, and for LGBTQ rights, reproductive rights, and women’s health care.
- Repeal the cabaret law, so New Yorkers don’t have to break the law to dance.
- Treat drug use as a medical problem, not a criminal problem. Advocate to legalize, regulate and tax cannabis to finance education and housing.
- Fight for amnesty for convictions under laws enforced in a discriminatory manner.
