NYC Mayor Preaches Hope, Pledges Reform At Sunday Services

NEW YORK, NY — Mayor Bill de Blasio preached hope and pledged reform to communities of faith Sunday, as his administration grapples with the fallout of a weeklong curfew that led police to arrest hundreds of New Yorkers peacefully marching against police brutality and racial profiling.

Facing backlash over his handling of the citywide Black Lives Matter protests prompted by George Floyd's killing at the hands of Minneapolis police, the mayor spoke briefly about systemic racism and expressed optimism about New York City's future while addressing worshippers with the Christian Cultural Center and the New Hope Christian Fellowship, as well as a "pray and protest" led by Exodus Transitional Community in East Harlem.

The mayor promised to reallocate NYPD funding to grassroots groups like LIFE Camp that are dedicated to ending gun violence and to the city's crisis management system that provides mediation and connects New Yorkers to services like trauma counseling — an initiative he'd already announced — but offered few other specifics.

“We can change things, and it is fitting that I’m at New Hope because the word 'hope' resonates for humans," de Blasio said during New Hope's Sunday service over the video-conferencing platform Zoom. "It’s something that we always seek."

I sought counsel from @CCCinfoorg Pastor @ARBernard. He always helps me see more clearly. I’ve never experienced the weight of racism and the pain that’s boiling over in Black communities. Today I shared a message with his congregation on the change I hope we can make together. pic.twitter.com/hphotm0c6v
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) June 14, 2020

While de Blasio pledged change "in a way that was never possible before" in videotaped remarks to worshippers with the Brooklyn-based Christian Cultural Center, his administration was responsible for the interpretation of state civil rights law 50-a as shielding previously-public police disciplinary records.

The mayor has also weathered intense criticism over his inaction in response to Eric Garner's 2014 death at the hands of NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo.

The state legislature passed bills this week to repeal 50-a, ban the use of chokeholds by law enforcement and prohibit false race-based 911 reports. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the measures into law on Friday.

The City Council is spearheading a campaign to cut $1 billion in funding from the NYPD, but the mayor is opposing a reduction of that size.