Letter to NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio

June 2020
​Dear Honorable Mayor Bill De Blasio,

This previous week, while I looked into a few occasions that respected the life of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the numerous other black people who have been murdered by cops, I ended up thinking about local efforts to change our police division in New York. The murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor is a constant reminder and merely the tip of the iceberg with police brutality and how hard it is being black in America. I want the police to be reformed into a unit that people of color can feel safe reaching out to.

Some things that would help reform the police into a better state:

• Make turning off body cameras an automatic tampering with evidence charge
• Pass the Police Statistics and Transparency (STAT) Act which would require the state to record and report demographic information on the number of tickets and arrests for violations and misdemeanors (A05472 / S1830).
• Enact the “Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act” which would establish the crime of aggravated strangulation (A6144 / S6670B).

These are just a few suggestions for laws to be implemented in New York to eliminate police brutality. Also, defunding the police force can allow for billions of dollars to be put towards better causes that can allow for ways to better the youth and help rehabilitate criminals and felons after prison. 

Sincerely,
Colin Defreitas
8th Grade Student
Achievement First Apollo Middle School