Statement From Senator Sepúlveda on Policing Reforms Legislative Package

"This week is a historic one for New York State. After so much trauma, pain, and collective action, I am proud to stand with my colleagues in the Legislature as we pass crucial and long-overdue bills for police reform and accountability. We know that law enforcement has been plagued by systemic racism and complete lack of transparency, which have disproportionately hurt black and brown people in America for centuries.

This month, we collectively came to a turning point, after the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many others, were stolen from us. On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic which has devastated low-income communities of color in particular, the world has begun to stand up and say “No More.” Echoing the calls of protesters in New York and beyond, calling for justice and transformative structural change, New York has taken historic steps to reform law enforcement, increase transparency and accountability, and combat systemic discrimination in policing. 

It is crucial that we rebuild trust in those who are meant to protect and serve us, and build a genuinely fair justice system that works for everyone regardless of race, creed, income, and so on. I thank my colleagues for their leadership on these historic bills, and thank the countless community members who have raised their voices and taken action, as we take these crucial steps to heal and rebuild, towards greater justice, equality, and freedom."