FINALLY. Some strength from NY Senators: "Bail reform doesnt mean 'dangerous criminals have flooded NY communities.' It means that poor New Yorkers are being treated the way rich New Yorkers have always been treated. It means families have been reunited." syracuse.com/opinion/2020/0…
The truth about what's happening: "The Republican Party is running false & irresponsible ads in our district to frighten the public and smear Democrats. Why? Because we stood up last year in New York state to align our criminal justice system with fundamental American values."
"Every American knows the two basic principles of our legal system: An accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty, & everyone is equal under the law. However, before this year in NY, we had moved far away from those principles."
"We were incarcerating people for months or years while they awaited trial, even for misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies. Meanwhile, certain people, ones who had enough money to pay bail, were treated differently and allowed to await trial out of prison."
"As a result people of limited means were neither being presumed innocent nor treated equally under the law. The burden of this failed system fell disproportionately on communities of color, where policing is heaviest & minor infractions are most likely to result in arrest."
"Our criminal justice reforms aimed to change these imbalances. Most people who face accusations of misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies have been allowed to await trial out of jail. Families reunited. People back to work. Paying their rent. Finishing school. Crime rates down."
"Bail reform also means that jails will not be used to deal w/ mental illness or drug addiction. It is disheartening to see those in our justice system who call for keeping such people in jail, when, in fact, they should be advocating for more mental health & drug treatment."
"Jail again is not the answer. This only increases the risk to the public upon their release."
Thank you @RachelMayNY + @BillMagnarelli + @PamelaHunter128 for your courage & resolve in the face of racist fearmongering. Stay strong. Remind your colleagues why they voted for this reform when sensationalism wasn't overwhelming. Spread the truth: JusticeNotFear.org/#debunk
