Albany, NY–In response to Wednesday’s press conference on criminal justice reform led by Senate Republican Leader John Flanagan, Rosemary Rivera, Co-Executive Director of Citizen Action, has issued the following statement:
“The fear tactics and coded racism of John Flanagan and the District Attorneys are right out of the Trump playbook. The District Attorneys Association claims to support overdue reforms to bail and discovery law, but have been working actively to block common sense bills that would dramatically reduce racial and economic inequities in the justice system.
“We know that mass jailing does not make our communities safer or healthier. The crisis has torn apart families and devastated our communities. DAASNY, which is supposed to be a trade organization, is functioning more like a high-powered lobbying group, using their influence to preserve a racist and regressive system.”
###