Press Room

Following the Adams administration’s implementation of a new policy to require elected officials in city, state, and federal office to seek approval from City Hall for certain engagement with city agency leadership, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams urged the administration to reconsider the action. This measure reduces access, communication, and effectiveness of government services, in direct contradiction to the Public Advocate’s dual roles of connecting New Yorkers to city agencies and providing oversight of administration operations.

In a letter to the mayor, the Public Advocate makes clear that “Contrary to the reductive comparisons some have made, this is not about a form. This is about City Hall creating a bottleneck in government services and giving the mayor’s office the potential to throttle certain requests essential to serving constituents as the office ‘reserves the right to decline requests,’” and later notes that “This policy as designed will stymie vital interaction between government partners – preventing public service on behalf of New Yorkers in order to service a seeming need of this administration to exert further control over all government operations.” 

The Public Advocate also raises concerns about the ways in which this effort to put all government actions through the mayors’ office could hurt transparency, arguing that “By putting all serious concerns through the City Hall screener, it is possible that serious issues in need of investigation, correction, and certainly public spotlighting may never see the light of day, denied by the mayor’s office for any number of reasons. This is not a way to make government work for New Yorkers, as my office is directly responsible for ensuring and as all responsible elected leaders strive to do.”

Public Advocate Williams closes his letter urging the kind of communication this policy could prohibit, and conceding that “In case this letter does not suffice, just this once, I’ll also submit the form.”

Read the Public Advocate’s full letter below.

Greetings Mayor Adams,

I write today to urge you to reconsider and rescind the new procedure your administration is imposing on city agencies, which requires elected officials to seek permission to work with our partners in government at city agencies about critical issues.

Contrary to the reductive comparisons some have made, this is not about a form. This is about City Hall creating a bottleneck in government services and giving the mayor’s office the potential to throttle certain requests essential to serving constituents as the office “reserves the right to decline requests.”

The Public Advocate’s office - charged with both connecting New Yorkers to city agencies and serving as an oversight body over those same agencies does not intend to limit our ability to perform these roles by getting permission from City Hall first. On the contrary, we call on you to rescind this inefficient, ineffective policy and enable not only our office, but elected officials at all levels, to do their duty.

Once an agency under the purview of the mayor’s office has received a contact from an elected official, they are free to make City Hall aware of that interaction – indeed, we would expect it – but not for City Hall to serve as a filter for those requests. This policy as designed will stymie vital interaction between government partners – preventing public service on behalf of New Yorkers in order to service a seeming need of this administration to exert further control over all government operations.

Furthermore, by putting all serious concerns through the City Hall screener, it is possible that serious issues in need of investigation, correction, and certainly public spotlighting may never see the light of day, denied by the mayor’s office for any number of reasons. This is not a way to make government work for New Yorkers, as my office is directly responsible for ensuring and as all responsible elected leaders strive to do.

I request to speak further with you to discuss the need to keep channels of communication open in government, and to allow for any clarifications. In case this letter does not suffice, just this once, I’ll also submit the form.

Sincerely, 

Jumaane D. Williams

Public Advocate for the City of New York  

NEW YORK: New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams was arrested by the NYPD today alongside over a dozen tenants and advocates engaging in civil disobedience outside the midtown offices of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY). The activists from Housing Justice for All were speaking out against REBNY’s campaign to protect bad landlords and prevent tenant protections from being enacted statewide when NYPD officers took them into custody for obstructing the building’s entrance.

The Public Advocate made the following statement on the act of civil disobedience:

“Today I and others face arrest on behalf of tenants across New York facing eviction as rents rise and landlords continue to put profit over people. We are blocking the entrance to REBNY just as they have blocked real tenant protections from being enacted in Albany through their disingenuous lobbying and spending.

“At this crucial moment of the housing and homelessness crisis in New York, we need to not only protect the progress we have fought for over years, but march forward, enshrining Good Cause eviction protections into state law and expanding access to deeply affordable, income-targeted housing. Stable housing is essential to public safety — yet when New Yorkers ask for this kind of support, those pleas are rarely heard by those in power.

"Last month, the city’s worst landlord was arrested for his negligence in harming his tenants. Today, we were arrested to protest REBNY’s active campaign to harm tenants statewide, to urge state lawmakers to reject big real estate’s influence, and to finally pass the protections New Yorkers desperately need.”

With housing costs soaring and many New Yorkers being forced from their homes, REBNY has continued to lobby against the passing of Good Cause eviction protections and other efforts to expand access to affordable housing. Donations and lobbying efforts from the real estate industry have exacerbated the housing and homelessness crisis in New York City and statewide.

Following the arrest, Public Advocate Williams has been taken to the 7th police precinct.

"Officer Diller came to work today as he did every day, prepared to risk his safety to protect the city, and lost his life in service to our community. I join all New Yorkers to honor his sacrifice, and uplift his life and memory. I offer prayers of peace and comfort to his family, to his colleagues with the Queens South CRT, and to the entire NYPD. The city mourns with you tonight. New Yorkers know that even in the face of danger, even in a moment of mourning, NYPD officers will always bravely answer the 911 call of a New Yorker in need, and we are grateful for your courage and grieving in your loss.

"The plague of gun violence continues to devastate our city, to rob our neighbors of their family and friends, to inflict unimaginable pain. Officer Diller was a partner in public safety and service, and in his memory, we should embody that spirit."

As part of a comprehensive approach to public health and safety in New York City, Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams called for targeted investments in key initiatives. At a joint hearing of the City Council Committees on Health and on Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addiction, he emphasized the cascading consequences of a lack of resources for mental health care.

“Barriers to effective care include a host of issues related to lack of adequate insurance, stigma and discrimination, lack of access to stable housing, etc,” said Public Advocate Williams before the committees. “The increased visibility and vulnerability of these individuals, compounded with a decrease in resources as cities around the country struggle to meet demand, have devastating consequences.”

The Public Advocate pointed to his office's 2019 report and 2022 supplement, Improving New York City’s Responses To Individuals In Mental Health Crisis, and particularly highlighted two areas of potential investment:

Respite Centers - Respite Care Centers are an alternative to hospitalization for those in crisis and serve as temporary stays in supportive settings that allow individuals to maintain their regular schedules and have guests visit. Currently, there are 4 Health Department Community Partners operating respite centers serving adult New Yorkers, a drop from the 8 centers in 2019. The Administration for Children’s Services also operates a respite program for youth.

Increasing Supportive Housing - Supportive housing is affordable housing with supportive social services in place. Currently, the city is lagging behind in providing supportive housing, with a long and often-delayed application process. This should include supportive housing for incarcerated individuals and individuals re-entering communities post-release. 

In addition, Public Advocate Williams called for the preservation and expansion of lifesaving Overdose Prevention Centers, "which opened in 2021 and in their first six months of operation helped prevent over 300 overdoses". He also uplifted the Progressive Caucus' request from last year for "$20 million to shift the city’s two existing OPCs in Manhattan to 24/7 operations and open four additional centers, one in each borough that does not have an OPC.”

Read the Public Advocate’s full comments as prepared below. 

TESTIMONY OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS TO THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEES ON HEALTH & MENTAL HEALTH, DISABILITIES AND ADDICTION

Good morning, 

My name is Jumaane D. Williams, and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. I thank Chairs Schulman and Lee and the members of the Committees on Health and Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction for holding this hearing today and allowing me the opportunity to testify. 

In any given year, more than one in five New Yorkers experience psychiatric illness, with low-income people of more color often unable to access any treatment or support. Barriers to effective care include a host of issues related to lack of adequate insurance, stigma and discrimination, and lack of access to stable housing. The increased visibility and vulnerability of these individuals, compounded with a decrease in resources as cities around the country struggle to meet demand, have devastating consequences. The death of Jordan Neely last year, an unhoused person experiencing a mental health crisis on the subway, is just one example. 

Programs like B-HEARD, launched in 2021 to address mental health crisis calls with non-police response cover only a quarter of mental health calls made in the city. B-HEARD teams are established in only 31 of the city’s 77 police precincts. One of the primary challenges has been hiring enough social workers and EMS staff for B-HEARD teams, at a time when EMS staff are already overstretched. The lack of adequately trained staff has led to continuous cuts to the program’s budget. Peer support specialists and other embedded mental health infrastructure could help fill these gaps. The city’s Overdose Prevention Centers (OPCs), which opened in 2021 and in their first six months of operation helped prevent over 300 overdoses, is another  program that could address serious healthcare gaps in NYC. I want to echo the Progressive Caucus’s request last year for $20 million to shift the city’s two existing OPCs in Manhattan to 24/7 operations and open four additional centers, one in each borough that does not have an OPC. 

In addition to this request, I want to highlight and reiterate my support for a few recommendations from my office’s  report “Improving New York City’s Responses to Individuals in Mental Health Crisis” released in October of 2019.  This report, updated and reissued in November 2022, was informed by conversations with and the work of mental health and justice advocates. I want to uplift the need for:

Respite Centers. Respite Care Centers are an alternative to hospitalization for those in crisis and serve as temporary stays in supportive settings that allow individuals to maintain their regular schedules and have guests visit. Currently, there are 4 Health Department Community Partners operating respite centers serving adult New Yorkers, a drop from the 8 centers in 2019. The Administration for Children’s Services also operates a respite program for youth. 

Increasing supportive housing. Supportive housing is affordable housing with supportive social services in place. Currently, the city is lagging behind in providing supportive housing, with a long and often-delayed application process. This should include supportive housing for incarcerated individuals and individuals re-entering communities post-release. 

Furthermore, I want to highlight the need for expanded STI testing and sexual health care centers as recent data from DOHMH shows that the number of sexually transmitted diseases has spiked across the city with rates of chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea skyrocketing across demographic groups.

Finally, I want to highlight all the recent and planned hospital closures. Over the past 25 years, we’ve had a total of 20 hospital closures. These closures have disproportionately impacted communities of color, who often bear the burden of adverse health effects. By closing hospitals, we are losing access to beds and precious resources and we cannot afford to go backwards. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated health outcomes and further contributed to staff shortages and high rates of turnover. It is our responsibility now to realize the reforms needed and act swiftly to prevent more suffering and loss. I look forward to engaging with this Council, the Adams administration, and communities across the city to address these issues.

Thank you. 

NEW YORK: New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams today called for deeper investment in public safety services and infrastructure, beyond simply law enforcement solutions. At a hearing of the City Council’s Committee on Public Safety, he urged the city to fund non-police infrastructure, and emphasized the broad agreement among New Yorkers in recent surveys on public safety priorities, and how police resources should be utilized.

“The NYPD is often called to address issues of homelessness and mental health crises,” noted the Public Advocate. “We know that dispatching police to remove people perceived as being homeless or experiencing symptoms of mental health and acute mental illness hasn’t worked long-term in the past, and that we must invest in non-police responses to people in mental health crisis to address those in crisis and to help address substance abuse.”

Public Advocate Williams also emphasized the overreliance on law enforcement in subway stations, including the recent addition of the National Guard, and said of the previous surge in subway policing “... Crime decreased outside of the subway during that time period more than it did inside of the subway. Despite the recent deployment of New York State Troopers and the terrible deployment of the National Guard to the city’s subways, a recent shooting occurred on the A train as it pulled into the Hoyt-Schermerhorn station, which houses a police station currently. This says to me that police alone can’t solve this, and I think everybody here agrees with that.”

“What I’m hoping is that we have the courage in leadership to not just put money where it needs to go, but to build out an infrastructure of non-police responses that New York City’s actually asking for,”argued the Public Advocate in closing. “... I think if we really want to support our law enforcement partners, the one thing we can stop asking them to do is “everything,” because they can’t do everything, and that's harmful.”

Read the Public Advocate’s full comments as delivered below.  

STATEMENT OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS TO THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY MARCH 20, 2024

Thank you so much Mr. Chair and Madame Speaker. Peace and blessings to everyone. Commissioner Caban and the entire NYPD leadership. As was mentioned, my name is Jumaane Williams, and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. I would like to thank Chair Salaam, the Speaker, and the members of the Committee on Public Safety for holding this important hearing.

The NYPD is by far the biggest and most expensive police department in the country, and also unfortunately very often is called to do social service functions. If you do permit me just to remind folks, there have been a few surveys that actually showed that most of us almost universally agree where it is best to use law enforcement and where it is not. The Adams administration did a survey I believe almost three years ago, asking what the best way was to address the crime that was going on. The first two answers were housing and mental health. The third was law enforcement. Another recent survey discussed what were the worst things that were happening  in the city – affordability was number one.

In January there was a statewide survey, the question was ‘Which of the following would you say is the single greatest cause of crime in New York?’ It went – first was poverty, substance abuse, mental illness, breakdown of the family, migrant influx, inequality – lack of enforcement I believe came in seventh and that remarkably was across Democratic and Republican lines.  It’s skewed a little differently under the Republicans, but the end result was the same, which says to me there is a tremendous understanding of what we need to do to address crime and I believe having spoken to much of the leadership in the police department as well, there’s also agreement there. Unfortunately, that agreement doesn’t seem to lend itself to where our finances go, or where we need to focus to build infrastructure.  

The NYPD is often called to address issues of homelessness and mental health crises. We know that dispatching police to remove people perceived as being homeless or experiencing symptoms of mental health and acute mental illness hasn’t worked long-term in the past, and that we must invest in non-police responses to people in mental health crisis to address those in crisis and to help address substance abuse.

The mayor’s Subway Safety Plan has once again exacerbated a police overtime surge. I think people may be shocked to learn that the NYPD was actually never defunded. Most other agencies were. A big part of that has to do with overtime. According to the City Comptroller, for FY 2024, the City has spent $461 million through December on NYPD’s uniformed overtime, $109 million more than spent for the same period in FY 2023, and is on target to spend $925 million for the next year. There was a recent report, and I forgot the time frame, it was either six months or a year, where overtime went from $4 million to, I believe, $155 million. What was interesting about that is, crime decreased outside of the subway during that time period more than it did  inside of the subway.

Despite the recent deployment of New York State Troopers and the terrible deployment of the National Guard to the city’s subways, a recent shooting occurred on the A train as it pulled into the Hoyt-Schermerhorn station, which houses a police station currently. This says to me that police alone can’t solve this, and I think everybody here agrees with that. It doesn’t mean that our law enforcement doesn’t have a role to play and that all of us don’t have a role to play, but it does say that we continually have an over-reliance  on our law enforcement and we keep pushing to them solve these problems, which is not what everyone agrees is what we have to do.

So what I’m hoping is that we have the courage  in leadership to not just put money where it needs to go, but to build out an infrastructure of non-police responses that New York City’s actually asking for. Hopefully this conversation doesn't continue to change and turn into ‘anti-police’ or ‘non anti-police,’ because I think everyone agrees, again, based on the surveys, based on the discussions that we have. But for some reason the NYPD is the only one who has access to the type of overtime that they claim they need, and other agencies don’t have the access to the resources  they need to  build out the infrastructure that we all say we need.

The mayor, and the administration and I often disagree, if not in words but often in implementation and practice, on the most impactful ways to address crime and violence in our city, but I applaud his support of alternative solutions to violence, including the Crisis Management System (CMS), a network that deploys teams of credible messengers. 

I do believe that with that, it’s been stagnant in how that system has been deployed and grown, and making sure it’s working in the long term. My hope is that we can all sit down and ensure all these things are working together and that everyone has the resources they need, not just one agency. I think if we really want to support our law enforcement partners, the one thing we can stop asking them to do is “everything,” because they can’t do everything, and that's harmful. 

When my mother, who had a bullet go through her window, when my sister is dealing with someone who is mentally ill, can’t  figure out who to call, that’s an issue. If my mom calls law enforcement, I want someone to be able to provide the services she needs, but if she needs another service, she should be able to get that as well, and we have to be able to build that out. 

Lastly, it is vital to adequately and robustly fund our public defender services. While free legal defender services for anyone who needs them are mandated by federal and local law, these organizations are consistently underfunded. It is low-income New Yorkers who ultimately face the consequences of a budget that often favors district attorneys’ offices, deprived of the robust legal representation that they need and deserve. I want to make sure that everyone has the funding they need, and so the DAs hopefully would support us getting funds to local defenders as well, that way everyone can get a speedy trial – which I believe is one of the biggest issues we’re dealing with, but not addressing. I’m looking forward to the conversion, and thank you. 

Thank you.

As the number of fires linked to lithium-ion batteries continues to rise citywide, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams called on the city today to take unilateral action to help prevent this damage and devastation by purchasing and providing fireproof storage bags for e-bike drivers to store their batteries. These low-cost containers are extremely effective in preventing the kinds of fires that have raged across the five boroughs in recent years. At a hearing of the City Council Committee on Fire and Emergency Management today, he pushed for including this expense in the budget. 

“We must take immediate action to make New York City safer, and providing riders with both information and equipment is among the most direct ways we can act,” said Public Advocate Williams. “One of the easiest ways to prevent lithium-ion battery fires at the source is using a fire retardant storage case for storing lithium ion batteries at home or at the office. These inexpensive storage cases cost about $20, and protect batteries during the charging process when most vulnerable to overheating and exploding. This relatively affordable investment will pay a huge dividend in decreasing the number of fires as well as saving lives and infrastructure.”

He continued, “Often in government, we’re forced to make hard decisions about whether the impact of a policy is worth the price tag. Here, though, we have a simple, cost-effective solution that will ultimately save money, and much more importantly save lives. This does not solve the issue fully or forever, but it can have real and immediate impact at a moment when this destruction is constantly on our streets and screens. We are responding far too slowly to the alarms that have been sounding for over a year, and the longer we delay action, the more we’re playing with fire. I urge the administration and Council to fund this purchase and distribution.”

The Public Advocate noted that the containers retail for about $20 each, or $1.3 million to provide a bag for each of the 65,000 delivery e-bike drivers in the city. However, he believes that with New York City’s purchasing power and bulk quantities, it would be possible to equip every delivery driver in the city for as little as $500,000. He emphasized that this cost is minimal relative to the benefits. 

Below is the Public Advocate’s full statement to the Committee as prepared

STATEMENT OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS  TO THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON FIRE AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT  MARCH 15, 2024

Good Morning,

My name is Jumaane D. Williams and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. Thank you to Chair Ariola and members of the Committee on Fire and Emergency Management for holding this hearing and for allowing me to share my statement. Thank you Commissioner and team for being here.

Fire safety is a top concern for New Yorkers. The Preliminary Fiscal 2024 Mayor’s Management Report states that there have been 102 civilian fire fatalities in FY23, which means a civilian death once every three days. This is a sharp increase from FY22 and FY21, with 64 civilian fire fatalities in FY21. Fire safety is a public safety concern, and I appreciate that the Mayor has acknowledged it during his Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2025 by exempting the FDNY from additional PEGs.

However, more must be done to stem the trend of fire deaths. Under the Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2025, the Mayor's Office’s budget added a 5th firefighter to 20 companies. I support the increase in fifth firefighters and applaud the Adams Administration for supporting fire safety. However, this means that only about 10% of engine companies will have five firefighters, or 20 out of 193 engine companies. Furthermore, this just restores an extremely recent December 2023 cut. This is less of a positive change and more of putting out a fire you’ve started- which in and of itself would be a return to the broken status quo. The Uniformed Firefighters Association President Andrew Ansbro argues that with an increase in fires and increase in the strength of fires, there needs to be more resources for engine companies. I agree and stand in support of the Uniformed Firefighter Association’s calls for fifth firefighters. 

Part of the growth in civilian deaths from fires can be attributed to lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion battery fires are difficult to contain and the fire can spread very quickly, putting civilians and firefighters in danger. On February 2, 2024, Fire Commissioner Kavanaugh announced that lithium batteries are now a leading cause of fires. The FDNY, the Mayor's Office and the collective New York City Council all acknowledge how lithium-ion battery fires are a significant challenge for New Yorkers safety, and have passed life-saving legislation such as restricting reconditioned batteries.

We must continue to look ahead, because micromobility device usage and lithium-ion batteries will only become more commonplace. Our city faces a major challenge and we must respond as comprehensively and quickly as possible. One of the easiest ways to prevent lithium-ion battery fires at the source is using a fire retardant storage case for storing lithium-ion batteries at home or at the office. These inexpensive storage cases protect batteries during the charging process when batteries are most vulnerable to overheating and exploding. Fire retardant bags only cost about $20. This relatively affordable investment will pay a huge dividend in decreasing the number of fires as well as saving lives and infrastructure. We must take immediate action to make New York City safer, and providing riders with both information and equipment is among the most direct ways we can act. With the purchasing power of New York City buying these bags in bulk, it will cost roughly $500,000 to provide a lifesaving tool to the 65,000 delivery workers citywide driving e-bikes for their livelihood. These funds should be allocated to the Fire Department to work with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to distribute fire retardant storage cases, similar to the smoke detector and battery distribution program. Furthermore, delivery apps can mandate that drivers use and own certain equipment, such as possessing a fire retardant storage case, in order to be able to make deliveries, or provide them themselves. 

Often in government, we’re forced to make hard decisions about whether the impact of a policy is worth the price tag. Here, though, we have a simple, cost-effective solution that will ultimately save money, and much more importantly save lives. This does not solve the issue fully or forever, but it can have real and immediate impact at a moment when this destruction is constantly on our streets and screens. We are responding far too slowly to the alarms that have been sounding for over a year, and the longer we delay action, the more we’re playing with fire. I urge the administration and Council to fund this purchase and distribution without delay.  

In the long term we must redesign New York City’s infrastructure to accommodate electric micromobility devices. These devices help to transport New Yorkers who otherwise may use a car or use a gas-powered moped as well as assist the disabled community. We must encourage wide-scale adoption through addressing outstanding safety concerns. It is now common in South and East Asian countries to see battery swap stations where ebike owners can pay a monthly subscription to swap a dead battery for a fully charged battery, so they do not have to ever charge the device at home. The City should consider creating a franchise agreement for a battery swap system with a singular battery standard, as we already have similar infrastructure in the form of the Citi Bike system. Delivery apps also have a responsibility for supporting infrastructure for its delivery drivers. Companies offering 15-minute delivery local services like Getir already provide charging stations to their drivers. The onus should be on delivery companies to set up charging stations for their drivers. 

Finally, the New York City Council Committee on Fire and Emergency Management has been doing an excellent job responding to lithium-ion battery safety concerns by passing comprehensive legislation. The committee must continue to make sure that the legislation is being enforced by holding oversight hearings to determine if the Mayor’s Office has complied with the Local Laws. Thank you.