FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 21, 2019
Contact: Melissa Mansfield, mmansfield@skdknick.com,
STATEMENT FROM NEW YORKERS UNITED FOR JUSTICE ON THE ONGOING NEED FOR MEANINGFUL CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM AND A GOOD FAITH CONVERSATION: NOT FEARMONGERING AND MISINFORMATION
NYUJ, a coalition of more than a dozen national and local criminal justice and civil rights advocacy groups, announces seven-figure statewide campaign to remind voters that reform creates a more just, fair and safe New York
***NYUJ Leaders Khalil A. Cumberbatch, Topeka K. Sam and Executive Director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers & NYUJ Board Chair Norman Reimer Available For Interviews***
(New York, NY) – Today, opponents of reform continued their efforts to sabotage recent efforts to fix New York’s woefully flawed criminal justice system. New Yorkers United for Justice (NYUJ) leaders Khalil A. Cumberbatch and Topeka K. Sam released the following statement in response to this ongoing fear-based rhetoric:
“We’ve heard enough misinformation from perpetuators of a broken status quo. Our question to those who would defend an outdated, ineffective system is simple – what’s your plan? We cannot continue to allow a New Yorker’s experience in the justice system to be determined by their economic status, to have evidence withheld arbitrarily, or to remain incarcerated indefinitely waiting for their right to due process.
“The vast majority of New Yorkers across the ideological spectrum—and in our suburbs, rural areas, and cities alike—recognize the need for meaningful changes and support these common-sense criminal justice reforms that are at the heart of recent changes enacted into law. Now is the time for the honest, productive conversations all New Yorkers deserve—ensuring that implementation is thoughtful and impactful—focused on public safety and fairness, not bad faith arguments designed to push fear and play politics.”
To help set the record straight and encourage these smart, good-faith conversations, NYUJ is launching a statewide, long-term seven-figure public education campaign to remind voters about the benefits to all New Yorkers of fixing the system.
Earlier this year, NYUJ released a HarrisX poll revealing broad statewide support for reforms including the right to a speedy trial; open, fair discovery laws; and a bail system that doesn’t incarcerate New Yorkers simply because they are unable to afford cash bail.
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