Anyone else waiting for a mayoral candidate to offer a vision for New York City?

I'll be watching tonight's forum on Public Safety, hosted by @NYPANetwork, Central BK Political Action Assoc. & others.

I'm ready for real solutions & will call bs when I hear it tonight. Let's go

Opening Remarks

Garcia: Most experienced in a crisis
Stringer: Focus on COVID's impact
Wiley: Civil rights bio
Menchaca: Led w/ #defundnypd

What would you do about health disparities?

Menchaca & Wiley: More community partnerships
Stringer: Investigating the mayor's response to COVID.
Garcia: Good answer on structural flaws in NYC health system.

(Btw, I have not endorsed any candidate.)

Question about police violence & #defundnypd:

Stringer: claims long history in police reform & policing protests.
Wants to reduce NYPD's responsibility in mental health response & traffic offenses.
Decriminalize low-level offenses.
"No police slowdowns, no temper tantrums."

Question about police violence & #defundnypd:

Wiley: "We have to put the public back in public safety."
(Not sure what that means.)
Fire Shea.
Get rid of units...shrink size of NYPD.

Question about police violence & #defundnypd:

Garcia: "I do not agree with #defund the police."
Only person who has run a uniformed agency. (Sanitation.)
Proposes raising minimum police age to 25.
Require police live in the city.

Question about police violence & #defundnypd:
Menchaca: supports defunding to fund other programs

How do we protect economically vulnerable during COVID?

Wiley: Focus on NYCHA - more $$ & self-govt.
Garcia: Focus on food insecurity & her role during COVID.
Stringer: Blasts de Blasio's housing plan
Menchaca: Break up NYPD/ICE; City Council should appoint police commissioner

Address gun violence crisis:

Garcia: "Bring back police athletic league" (?)
Stringer: Mentors in communities (?), more violence interruptors
Wiley: Gun violence due to disinvestment in communities. Her best answer tonight.
Menchaca: Cut police budget, invest in communities.

Second panel: @ShaunDonovanNYC, @ericadamsfornyc, @Dianne4NYC & @LoreeSuttonNYC

Donovan: Gives bio, housing & budget experience
Adams: A little all over the place
Sutton: Moved to run by "lost opportunity of Amazon"
Morales: Focus on marginalized communities, identity

Btw, mayoral candidates aren't nearly as sharp as our Manhattan DA field at crisply answering w/in time.

How would you have protected community from COVID?
Morales: Critiqued handling of schools...
Sutton: "Cuomo deserves a lot of credit"

How would you have protected community from COVID?

Adams: I moved into Boro Hall on a mattress. "I wasn't in the Hamptons, I was in housing." Black & brown people were treated differently than white people during COVID.

Donovan: Cites Ebola crisis work. Name drops Obama.

Police relations and #defundnypd

Adams: Reallocate police funding. No clerical roles.
Use zoom for police officers to appear in court.
Charge officers for "acting in concert" if they stand by for misconduct.
"Justice and safety go together."

#defundnypd (cont)
Sutton: "Cops need communities as much as communities need cops."(?)

Morales: "First mayoral candidate to call for defunding the police. I stand by it and I'm not backing down."
Going off on historic racism of police & current NYPD.
Non-NYPD first responders.

#defundnypd (cont)

Donovan: Reduce role of police. No police in schools, criminalizing homelessness. Stable housing as response to crime. Good technocratic answer.

How would you help the economic vulnerable?

Sutton: I don't want to be harsh, but I'm not seeing a deep understanding of NYC in this candidacy.

Donovan: Biden name drop. On immigration, healthcare & housing has strong command of issues. Honestly, I'm impressed.

How would you help the economic vulnerable?

Morales: Protect immigrants from ICE.
Banks must pay their fair share. (How as mayor?)
Repurpose vacant spaces for ppl who are homeless.

Adams: Give immigrants right to vote in local elections. Cites his work on DREAM Act.

Gun Violence

Donovan: Need coalition of mayors against guns. (Didn't Bloomberg try?)

Adams: Focus on gun running into city. Connect gang leaders w/ employment.

Sutton: Cites 67th pct for removing guns from streets.

Morales: S/o to @LIFECampInc. Address community insecurity.