Issue Position: Creating Public Safety

Issue Position

Instead of investing in mass incarceration, we need to invest in the most vulnerable members of our society.

Ending Police Violence

People all over the country have risen in sustained mass protest against the police killing of George Floyd, as well as the murders of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and countless other Black people. We've also seen police commit acts of brutality against protesters beating them with batons, pulling their masks off to pepper spray them, and pushing them to the ground without regard to life and injuries.

Alexandria has called for:

Significant reductions in the police budget. She believes we must divest from policing as a one-stop-solution to community problems and instead invest in healthcare, housing, education, and supportive services. She recognizes that when people's basic needs are met, we have real safety in our community.

Ending the school-to-prison pipeline, including decriminalizing truancy and taking police out of schools

Ending "qualified immunity,' which shields police from liability for their illegal or unconstitutional acts

Ending the pipeline of military weapons and goods to police departments

Establishing a public national database that tracks all police officers decertified in any state or locality to ensure transparency when the same officers seek employment in law enforcement elsewhere

Making police disciplinary records and histories of misconduct transparent - in New York that means repealing the 50-a law

Banning the use of tear gas and rubber bullets by law enforcement

Ending broken-windows and quality-of-life policing.

Protect Incarcerated People During COVID-19

In March, as the reality of COVID-19's impacts became more clear, Alexandria joined advocates and service providers in raising awareness of the increased risk to the incarcerated population. By freeing vulnerable people locked away in cages, we could help save the lives of tens of thousands of juveniles, elderly and medically vulnerable people held in custody at the state and local level.

Invest in People, not Prisons

Throughout New York State, over 200,000 people are behind bars right now. And in New York City, 77% of people currently in jail have not even been convicted of a crime. Today, Black people represent 16% of New York's population, however, they make up 53% of the population in New York jails and prisons.

Instead of investing in mass incarceration, we need to invest in the most vulnerable members of our society. Alexandria introduced the Just Society: Mercy in Reentry Act, to ensure that all persons in need are eligible for the social safety net, regardless of prior involvement with the criminal justice system. This includes access to any retirement, welfare, health, disability,

public or assisted housing, postsecondary education, food assistance, and unemployment benefit.

Alexandria also supports Representative Ayanna Pressley's H.Res. 702, "The People's Justice Guarantee," which includes ending the death penalty, ending life sentences without possibility of parole, ending mandatory minimum sentences, decriminalizing activities that are byproducts of poverty and homelessness (such as sex work and drug use), ending solitary confinement, expanding Pell Grants, paying incarcerated people at least the Federal minimum wage for labor, and ending the use of cash bail, among other things.

Alexandria strongly supports:

H.R.5070 - A Just Society: The Mercy In Re-entry Act;

H.Res. 702 - The People's Justice Guarantee;

H.R. 1714 - Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act of 2019;

Defunding police and investing in healthcare, housing, education and other services;

Ending qualified immunity for police and making police misconduct records public;

The use of clemency and emergency powers to reduce vulnerable populations and limit the spread of the Coronavirus in prison;

The release of individuals over the age of 50 currently serving a sentence of one year or less or serving time for a parole violation at Rikers Island.

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