Public Safety

Everyone deserves to be safe and to be treated justly and fairly. The recent spike in violent crimes - in particular, hate crimes against minority groups - is frightening and must be dealt with swiftly and firmly. At the same time, we must continue the important work of making our criminal and legal systems more just, more fair, and more accountable. We can and we must accomplish both by using smart, proven methods. Together, we can make New York safer and more just for everyone. 

Anti-Asian and other racist hate crimes are a scourge that must be stamped out. As an Asian American woman, Grace intimately understands the crisis that our community is facing. Grace and her family have been the targets of anti-Asian hate language and violence. Time and time again, Asians and other minority groups have been targeted for vicious attacks. Too often, these victims of crime are dismissed out of hand or even ridiculed by the police, and our cases are not pursued. As Assemblywoman, Grace will demand swift action and accountability and that law enforcement and prosecutors take our pain and our cases seriously. 

To keep us safe, we must do more to prevent violence instead of just reacting afterward. Grace will advocate for our law enforcement to focus on the most proven, common-sense method of reducing and preventing crime: increasing community-based uniformed foot patrol. Simultaneously, we must strengthen safeguards against implicit bias and the violations of our rights and hold law enforcement accountable for their actions. We can accomplish this and supplement it by incorporating trained mental health professionals into our emergency response system and expanding the incredibly successful B-HEARD program to be citywide. By providing emergency mental health responders, we can both improve outcomes of mental health emergency calls and free up police resources to focus on street patrol and violent crimes. Simultaneously, Grace will advocate for the creation of long-term supportive housing programs that help people stay off the streets and achieve fuller, healthier lives.   

No parent should have to live in fear that their child will be the victim of a shooting at school or in the streets. The continued proliferation of mass shootings nationwide and the increase in gun violence in our city needs to be met with firm action. As a mom, one of Grace's top priorities is always keeping children safe. Grace will work with city, state, and federal officials to crack down on the influx of illegal weapons through the Iron Pipeline and squash the proliferation of ghost guns made through 3D printing by updating laws to include printed weapons and investing state resources into investigating and shutting down sources of these hidden and dangerous weapons. She will also fight to increase funding and access to gun violence prevention and community-building programs that have proven records of success.  

In order to truly address and reduce crime, we must also address what happens after someone is arrested. We cannot incarcerate our way to safety. We must shut down the awful and inhumane jail at Rikers, which is dangerous to both inmates and staff. While incarceration is sometimes an unfortunate necessity, Grace is unequivocally opposed to the proposed Chinatown mega-jail, which does nothing to improve safety or justice and only overburdens an already marginalized neighborhood that is the constant victim of neglect and oversaturation. We need to invest in a system of restorative justice that helps those people and communities who have been affected to rebuild, re-integrate, and prevent recidivism.

We must do more to make our city safe, fair, and just. Grace will focus on building up proven strategies that prevent violence, protect the rights of all people, improve our conditions, and uplifts our communities instead of tearing them apart. We know that arresting the churro lady and militarizing our schools and hospitals isn’t the answer. Instead, we must address the inequalities and flaws in our law enforcement, legal systems, and socioeconomic conditions to guarantee justice and safety for all.