The idea of “defunding” the police, which a year ago became a rallying cry after the murder of George Floyd, proved to be a contentious proposition during the debate, dividing the candidates along ideological lines, particularly as New York City reels from an uptick in crime.
“The police are going to be a core way for us to address the public safety concerns that so many New Yorkers have and let me be clear defund the police is the wrong approach for new city,” Andrew Yang, considered a more moderate candidate, said.
But Maya Wiley, who is viewed as a more progressive candidate, argued in favor of shifting resources away from the police.
“I’m going to take a billion dollars from the New York City Police Department and shift that money to create trauma-informed care in our schools, because when we do that violence goes down and graduation rates go up” she said.
Dianne Morales, also considered one of the more progressive candidates, said that “safety is not synonymous with police.”
“We actually need to recognize that police respond to crime they don’t prevent crime,” she said.
Source: Elections - nytimes.com
