The uptick in summonses issued for quality of life offenses in NYC can be attributed in part to Broken Windows Policing – brought back to New York City with Bill de Blasio’s appointment of Bill Bratton as Police Commissioner. There are now 1.2 million open warrants in New York City which result from summonses for minor offenses like being in the park after dark, public urination, loitering, trespassing, unlawful pot possession, walking a dog without a leash and even spitting.
These summonses are clogging up the court system and can have unseen consequences, but Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson's office is providing an opportunity for all New Yorkers who received summonses in New York City to vacate them.
The program is called Begin Again. It’s this Saturday from 9am to 3pm at St. Paul Community Baptist Church in Brooklyn. In a half an hour to an hour, New Yorkers can wipe out these summonses. And it's not a scary. A Legal Aid attorney goes through the process with each New Yorker.
That’s this Saturday in Brooklyn at the St. Paul Community Baptist Church at 859 Hendrix St. in Brooklyn. For more information on twitter go to BeginAgainBklyn or BrooklynDa.org
LP WBAI News, NY