The Legal Aid Society is commending Mayor Mamdani for establishing an Office of Community Safety, a critical step toward reforming a system that has long relied too heavily on criminalization and incarceration to respond to New Yorkers in crisis. For too long, the criminal legal system has also failed to address the underlying issues and lack of community-based resources that result in people interacting with law enforcement.

“Every year, thousands of New Yorkers experiencing the crises of homelessness, mental health challenges, and substance misuse are not connected with the support and resources they need,” reads a statement from Legal Aid. “These individuals – who are disproportionately low-income people of color – are met with force from New York City Police Department officers that oftentimes leads to avoidable arrests or, in dire cases, injury or death.”

“The Office of Community Safety must direct the long-overdue work that requires de-escalation of these crises and reduces overall harm by diverting responses from NYPD officers to peer-led teams with expertise in addressing mental health, substance use, and access to housing,” the statement continues.

“We likewise welcome the appointment of Renita Francois as the Deputy Mayor for Community Safety and look forward to working together in the coming weeks and months to achieve a more humane and effective approach to public safety,” the statement concludes. “Her appointment marks a commitment to addressing the root causes of violence and engaging with the most impacted communities through means other than force.”