Cy Vance Calls for District Attorney's Office in Washington Heights

CONTACT:
Erin Duggan
Cy Vance for Manhattan DA
(646) 248-4370
eduggan@cyvanceforda.com [1]

Manhattan District Attorney Candidate Cy Vance today called for the establishment of a Washington Heights Office of the Manhattan District Attorney. The Office will bring the services of the DA’s Office directly to the residents of the Washington Heights/Inwood area. Vance was joined at El Presidente Restaurant by community leaders including Alianza Dominicana Executive Director Moises Perez, District Leader Maria Luna, District Leader Mayra Linares, Alianza Dominicana Director Milagros Batista, National Dominican Women’s Caucus President Zenaida Mendez, and Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights Executive Director Angela Fernandez. This Office will build upon the work done by the District Attorney’s Office in the Harlem State Office Building.

“We cannot allow communities in our borough to feel disconnected and disenfranchised -- the criminal justice system must protect and serve everyone,” said Vance. “When I am elected to be your next District Attorney I will make sure that my Office serves the needs of every neighborhood, which is why I am calling for an Office here in Washington Heights. I have strongly advocated for a community-based justice model, a progressive plan to re-align the District Attorney’s office that will enable us bring our services into the community. As we fight to make our City safer, there must be an easy way for residents to report crimes, and to seek help. This office will help us raise awareness of the District Attorney’s policy of allowing all our residents – regardless of immigration status – to confidentially report crime, and encourage victims to seek justice without repercussion.”

Washington Heights, home to a vibrant and changing population, has like the rest of the city seen a remarkable overall drop in crime in recent years. In the 33rd NYPD Precinct, for example, crime is down 59 percent since 1995, according to recent police statistics. However domestic violence remains a serious problem in the Washington Heights community, and one that disproportionately affects Northern Manhattan. As an immigrant community, Washington Heights residents are also susceptible to discrimination, in the form of violent hate crimes, unfair renting and labor practices, and other crimes that too often go unreported by recent immigrants. The DA’s office has a standing policy of not sharing information provided by victims and witnesses to immigration officials. This office would provide additional information to the community about this important policy.

As DA, Vance would work to serve Washington Heights/Inwood in four ways: 1) by establishing an office in the community; 2) by implementing a community-based justice model; 3) by executing his plan to prevent domestic violence [2], which will include a Family Justice Center in Northern Manhattan; and 4) by establishing a Hate Crimes Unit within the DA’s office.

Moises Perez, Founder and Executive Director of Alianza Dominicana, the largest community agency for Dominicans in the United States, said: “As Manhattan District Attorney, Cy Vance will make our streets safer while acting with fairness, justice and integrity. His vision for community-based justice, his commitment to work on immigration issues, and his plan to prevent domestic violence are innovative policy initiatives that show his commitment to justice. I know that Cy Vance cares about the Washington Heights community and all of Manhattan’s neighborhoods, and he will fight to keep their residents safe on the streets and in their homes.”

Zenaida Mendez, President of the National Dominican Women’s Caucus said: “When Cy Vance is elected, the Dominican community and residents of Washington Heights will have a friend in the Manhattan DA’s office. Cy’s commitment to treating all people equally and his progressive stance on immigration issues demonstrate his values and integrity. In particular, Cy has shown that he will making protecting women and children a priority, with his impressive plan to fight domestic violence, rape and sex trafficking. He will be a great DA.”

Hon. Maria Luna, District Leader and Chair of the New York County Democratic Committee, said: “Cy Vance has the right experience and the right temperament to be a great Manhattan District Attorney. His years working on both sides of the criminal justice system, as a prosecutor and defense attorney, have given him a unique perspective that will allow him to be fair and deliver justice. He cares about issues that matter to the Washington Heights community and all progressive New Yorkers, like immigration and domestic violence, and his plans on these issues are smart.”

Hon. Mayra Linares, Democratic District Leader, said: “Cy Vance is the right person to lead the Manhattan DA’s office. His focus on communities like Washington Heights shows his commitment to serving the people of this City and delivering justice for them. He has a real knowledge of the issues facing the immigrant population in this city, and he is committed to working with communities on a local level, finding the solutions to problems in the criminal justice system. That’s the kind of progressive leader we need in the DA’s Office.”

Vance will work to establish a permanent office of the District Attorney in Washington Heights/Inwood to serve its residents. The persistent domestic violence problems and unique concerns of the large immigrant population warrant the establishment of an additional office that is centrally located within Washington Heights.

“Having a physical presence in Washington Heights will allow residents to have access to the resources of the DA’s Office: victims’ services, such as counseling, social services, and legal services. They will be able to file domestic violence complaints and get immediate help from law enforcement officials. But most importantly, the prosecutors in the office will be able to establish relationships with local leaders and residents, so that they can better serve the community,” said Vance.

Vance is committed to reorganizing the office so that prosecutors are responsible for neighborhoods within Manhattan. Vance believes that the borough is a collection of unique neighborhoods with unique criminal justice issues, and that prosecutors should develop relationships within the neighborhoods they serve so that they have a greater ability to prevent crime. Assistant DAs would work closely with police officers, schools, religious organization, housing associations and community groups to understand each neighborhood’s unique dynamics and trends.“In order to stop the cycle of crime, Washington Heights residents need to see that the DA’s office is on their side and will work to protect them. Building relationships and trust between communities and the DA’s office is key,” Vance said. “I believe that prosecutors should have just as much responsibility for reducing crime rates as the police do. My community-based justice model will allow prosecutors to be more aware of issues in each community and more involved in solving criminal justice problems.”

Last week, Vance released a detailed plan to prevent domestic violence [2], including initiatives to reduce rates of domestic and intimate partner violence, rape (stranger and acquaintance), human/sex trafficking, and stalking. Vance called domestic violence a public health crisis, and stressed its prevalence as a pre-cursor to violence outside the home.

“The levels of domestic violence in Washington Heights are troubling and cannot be tolerated,” Vance said. “I strongly believe we cannot focus solely on prosecuting those who commit domestic violence, but must also focus on prevention and invest in programs that work. The cycle has to be broken for our families and communities to stay whole. I will use the full resources of the office to fight these terrible crimes.”

Since 2000, the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force has investigated nearly 2,000 reports of hate crimes perpetrated against New Yorkers for their perceived race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. Vance has pledged to create a Hate Crimes Unit that would bring together the resources and bias crimes experts needed to quickly identify and prosecute these offenses.

“Hate crimes destroy the fabric of our city, and in immigrant communities, they sow fear and anger. We must fight these forces by aggressively prosecuting these crimes, but also by learning how to prevent them. It’s a complex task, but one that we must undertake – working with experts, law enforcement and community groups – in order to have a more fair and welcoming city. It’s what New York is all about.”