Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Applaud Governor Cuomo for Signing Legislation to Ensure Transparency and Accountability for Police Brutality

The New York chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both a part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, today applaud Governor Cuomo for signing a slate of bills that would ensure transparency and accountability for police brutality.

“These signings signal that lawmakers have heard the demands of their constituents and are taking steps to create transparency in our police departments” said Natalie Tevethia, a volunteer with the New York chapter Moms Demand Action. “Too many lives have been cut short by police violence, and too many families have been left suffering. We’re hopeful that these new laws will give our communities the answers they deserve and make future acts of police brutality less likely.”

Together, the laws signed by Governor Cuomo will allow public disclosure of police personnel records and records related to misconduct, and create an Office of Special Investigation under the Attorney General’s Office to investigate and prosecute deaths caused by officers.

Black people in the United States are far more likely to be shot and killed by law enforcement than their white counterparts, and data from The Guardian shows that most people killed by police are killed with guns. According to Mapping Police Violence, Black Americans are killed by police at three times the rate of their white counterparts and from 2013 to 2019, police in New York killed 155 people.

As a whole, gun violence takes a disproportionate toll on Black and brown communities. Black Americans represent the majority of homicide and nonfatal shooting victims in the U.S. and are far more likely than white Americans to be victimized by and exposed to assaultive gun violence.