In 2018, 289 people were killed in New York City — the lowest murder rate in 50 years. Last year, the number was 485. Two hundred more lives taken annually — and a huge majority of them were African American or Hispanic men.
Albany doesn’t care.
Obsessed with closing all jails and freeing all prisoners, the liberal leaders of the Assembly and Senate reject simple, common-sense measures that would help the justice system crack down on guns and gangs — saving the lives of the people they claim to want to help .
Mayor Adams has asked his fellow Democrats in the Legislature to help him fight crime by making some basic fixes to the no-bail and Raise the Age laws: Give judges the power to jail clearly dangerous perps, and let older teens be caught with a gun tried in criminal, not family, court, if it’s a repeat offense.
Nothing about this is radical or discriminatory — but so far, Albany leaders say they won’t.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Gov. Hochul all insist these laws don’t need fixing. They need to hear that you think otherwise.

Below are the key legislators who need to get on board. Support the mayor: Call them, email them — tell them what you think. Fix this now!
Senate
ANDREA STEWART COUSINS (D-W’chester)
Majority Leader
518-455-2715
[email protected]
MICHAEL GIANARIS (D Queens)
Deputy Majority Leader
518-455-3486
[email protected]senate.gov
JAMAAL T. BAILEY (D Bronx)
Chair, Codes Committee
518-455-2061
[email protected]
JULIA SALAZAR (D-Brooklyn)
Chair, Crime and Correction Committee
518-455-2177
[email protected]
BRAD HOYLMAN (D-Manhattan)
Chair, Judiciary Committee
518-455-2451
[email protected]