Statement From Senator Brad Hoylman On Police Brutality And Violence Against Protestors

NEW YORK—New York State Senator Brad Hoylman, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement in response to nationwide protests against police brutality:

“Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. Tony McDade. George Floyd. 

“These four black Americans were killed for little more than the color of their skin. Their lives matter. They should still be alive today.

“Yesterday I joined my fellow New Yorkers to march on Staten Island and in Union Square, calling for an end to police brutality against black and brown people. We marched and protested against a criminal justice system that targets black and brown lives in an unequal, discriminatory and dangerous way. We marched because we are united in the conviction that black lives matter.

“New York cannot claim to be a progressive state so long as we have a criminal justice system that disproportionately impacts marginalized communities, including LGBTQ New Yorkers and people of color. We need to fundamentally rethink the way police departments engage with the communities they serve. 

“I’m committed to using my privilege as a white man and a state legislator to continue the fight for justice. My colleagues and I have written numerous legislative proposals to address the crisis of police brutality—now more than ever, as New Yorkers demand justice for victims of police brutality, we must pass them.”