Wednesday 10am: Advocates & State Lawmakers Rally at Manhattan Criminal Court for Legislation to Eliminate Predatory Court Fines & Fees
With State Budget Complete, Advocates & Lawmakers Renew Push for Passage During Remaining Months of Legislative Session
On April 14th at 10AM, elected officials, advocates, and people impacted by New York’s predatory court fines and fees will gather in front of Manhattan Criminal Court to demand an end to the criminalization of poverty. The End Predatory Court Fees Act would eliminate court, parole & probation fees, mandatory minimum fines, incarceration on the basis of unpaid fines and fees, and garnishment of commissary accounts. With this year’s budget, New York has begun to call on New York’s wealthiest to pay their fair share through progressive taxation. Now, it is time to undo the harm of New York’s regressive, ineffective and predatory revenue generation through the court system.
WHAT: Press conference and rally to call for the passage of the End Predatory Court Fees Act in the final two months of New York’s legislative session.
WHEN: April 14th at 10am
WHERE: Manhattan Criminal Court, 100 Centre Street, Manhattan. (Note: those unable to attend in-person can register here to watch online.)
WHO: Speakers will include lawmakers, impacted New Yorkers and advocates, including:
- Directly impacted campaign leaders from Center for Community Alternatives & New York Communities for Change
- Senator Julia Salazar (sponsor of the End Predatory Court Fees Act)
- Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou (sponsor of the End Predatory Court Fees Act)
- New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer
- Senator Brad Hoylman
- Senator Robert Jackson
- Senator Brian Benjamin
- Senator Kevin Parker
- Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas
- Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal
VISUALS: Dozens of New Yorkers rallying with bags of fake money and signs that say “No Price On Justice” and “End the Criminalization of Poverty.”
BACKGROUND:
- The End Predatory Court Fees Act would eliminate court, parole & probation fees, mandatory minimum fines, incarceration on the basis of unpaid fines and fees, and garnishment of commissary accounts for unpaid fines and fees.
- A report released last fall — New York’s Ferguson Problem — shows how the state’s reliance on fines and fees revenue encourages policing-for-profit, criminalizes poverty, and endangers Black and brown lives.
- Last year, California passed the most far-reaching fee elimination reforms to date, ending the collection of 23 fees charged to people in the criminal justice system — such as fees for public defenders, local booking fees, and probation and parole fees — and forgiving $16 billion in court debt. Momentum is building in numerous states around the U.S. for similar reforms.
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About the No Price on Justice Campaign
No Price on Justice is a coalition of economic and racial justice organizations, grassroots groups, and impacted people working to end New York’s predatory court fines and fees. Our mission is to end legal system fees and find more equitable ways to fund our government. Members of the No Price on Justice coalition include: Brooklyn Defender Services, Center for Community Alternatives, Citizen Action, Color of Change, Community Service Society, Fiscal Policy Institute, Fines and Fees Justice Center, Legal Aid Society, New York Civil Liberties Union, New York Communities for Change, and a dozen other organizations.
Contacts:
Jag Davies, jdavies@finesandfeesjusticecenter.org
Katie Schaffer, kschaffer@communityalternatives.org