Both the How Many Stops Act and the bill to end solitary confinement were vetoed by Mayor Eric Adams last Friday – and in the days since, arguments have grown in volume and frequency on both sides.
Those arguments took the floor in City Hall on Tuesday as elected officials and faith leaders came together to call on the mayor for his vetoes.
“Mr. Mayor, you no longer work for the NYPD, you now work for the people,” said Kirsten John Foy, one of the faith leaders present at City Hall. “We did not elect the first Black mayor in 30 years to be an apologist for mass incarceration, to be an apologist for an abusive police department."
The How Many Stops Act would require officers to document information about their interactions with the public, which the mayor states would lead to less patrol time and more paperwork for officers.
Mayor Adams formed a response to those arguing against his vetoes.
"This is what I cut my teeth in, of fighting against abusive police practices, stop and frisk - for them to believe that now I become mayor and I'm all of a sudden not going to continue fight for those things, it just doesn't make sense,” said Mayor Adams.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams says that the worries of paperwork can be debunked by taking a closer look at the tech savvy of the NYPD, saying they have the tools to make implementing this bill easier.
The City Council is slated to receive the mayor’s veto at their next meeting on Feb. 8. From there, they’ll have 30 days to take action – but that timeline could see changes in the coming weeks.