Five Big Ideas for New York City’s Next Mayor to Deliver Safety, Accountability, and Justice
Overview
A comfortable place to live. An easy commute on the subway. Green spaces, well-lit streets, and good schools. Economic opportunity and the chance to get ahead—not just get by. This is the New York City that we deserve. To make it a reality, the next mayor must prioritize safety, accountability, and justice. Yet we know that success will not come easily. There are no simple answers to these hard problems, but New Yorkers deserve an honest debate—one grounded in facts and evidence on what works.
As New Yorkers prepare for the upcoming mayoral election, this report is designed to guide the next administration in building a safer, fairer city. It presents five big ideas popular with New York City voters and grounded in evidence for what the next mayor should do to deliver more safety, accountability, and justice.
Key Takeaway
This report presents concrete solutions in five areas: building a comprehensive community safety infrastructure; delivering better, more accountable policing; increasing subway safety; making the shopping experience better for businesses and consumers; and closing Rikers Island. Our goal is to broaden the debate in this mayoral race to reflect what a majority of New York City voters want: a comprehensive approach to preventing crime, responding to crisis, and stopping violence instead of going back to “tough-on-crime” policies.
Publication Highlights
The next mayor can increase safety by championing a comprehensive approach of relying on the right tools and responders to prevent crime, respond to crisis, and stop violence.
The next mayor can deliver accountability at all levels—for people who break the law; for police when they abuse their power; for elected officials when they misuse public money, ignore evidence and data, and squander trust; and for the criminal justice system to actually keep us safe.
The next mayor can administer justice by reducing unnecessary arrest and incarceration and by following the law to close Rikers Island once and for all.