BAIL REFORM

I will defend and protect the important criminal justice reforms New York State passed last year. We must reject the fear-mongering and defeat any attempts to roll back advancements on bail reform in New York. Cash bail in New York was a racist system that was never about public safety but entirely about systemic oppression of poor people, the supermajority of whom are people of color. 

Although major progress was made last year, New York’s criminal justice system is under attack from Republican politicians, conservative prosecutors, and right-wing ideologues who want to return to the past where communities of color were targeted. Pre-trial detention needlessly puts too many people at risk. Marginalized populations - black and brown people, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ communities - are most often those that cannot afford bail and are disproportionately criminalized due to poverty.  

Those who fear monger make claims that the new bail reform laws will put criminals on our streets. They make claims that the bail reform will make us less safe. They make claims without any substantive facts backing their racism. They claim to care about the safety of our communities, but make no mention of how this broken system that criminalizes poverty has made our communities unsafe for years, has caused trauma to our families, and has prevented the stability that drives the safety they claim to champion. 

The bail reform laws that these fearless advocates passed last year, including bold leaders from VOCAL New York,  provides those who stand accused of a crime the ability to await trial at home. This allows folks to keep their jobs, to stay in their homes, to have access to their support systems and families. When we remove these elements of stability-- when we remove their ability to keep their jobs, to stay in their homes, and to access their families and support systems-- that is when we create a truly unsafe environment.

Criminal justice advocates have been fighting to end cash bail because it criminalizes poverty. Cash bail creates two separate and unequal tiers of justice: one for the wealthy who can buy their way out of jail; and another for poor people, often accused of misdemeanors or other low-level offenses, can’t afford bail and must go to jail to await trial. 

There are several important things to remember about bail reform in New York. 

New York’s law does not eliminate cash bail entirely. Instead, judges must release people accused of misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies, or impose non-monetary conditions, like electronic monitoring, treatment for mental health concerns or supervised release, to ensure they return for their court date. Judges can still impose bail for violent felonies if they determine non-monetary restrictions won’t be enough to summon a defendant back to court.

And most importantly, since 1971, we must remember that NY did not permit judges to consider ‘dangerousness’ or public safety in determining release conditions. It was alway simply a mechanism to ensure that the accused showed up for trial. Bail was never about public safety and always about access to wealth.

Bail reform addresses people who are legally innocent. What changed with the new bail reform law is that now there’s no difference between how the wealthy and the poor are treated, pre-trial. We can’t allow fear mongers to force us back into a racist system. We must protect the progress we’ve made. 

I am running for the New York State Assembly to be a leader in building power for our community around the issues that most impact our lives. The 34th Assembly District, which encompasses Corona, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Woodside, is comprised of a population that is approximately 60% Latino and over 88% people of color. Representation matters. We must have leaders who understand the struggles of our community - especially when it comes to criminal justice reforms that have targeted our communities. 

Once elected, I will be a leader for even greater reforms to our criminal justice system. We must move forward, not backwards. We must advocate for our community and defeat injustice where-ever it is found. I am proud to stand with these advocates to protect bail reform and reject any attempt to return to a racist policy which put thousands of innocent Black and Latino New Yorkers in jail.