A public safety resources poster released Thursday by Democratic leaders urges small business owners in the New York City to consider alternative tools and resources, rather than calling on police for help.
Queens Councilwoman Tiffany Cabán tweeted the newly crafted resource sheet, designed to equip merchants “with better ways of solving problems than simply summoning police every time a challenge arises.” Caban campaigned on a defund the police platform, calling for the disbanding of the NYPD and redirection of billions to alternate “people and service providers.” (RELATED: As Crime Rises In NYC, Eric Adams Struggles To Defend His Agenda)
Wanted to share this Public Safety Resources poster @ZohranKMamdani and my offices collaborated on.
We’re distributing them to local businesses, so our neighborhood is equipped with better ways of solving problems than simply summoning police every time a challenge arises. pic.twitter.com/zvpMWDRdeL
— Council Member Tiffany Cabán (D22) (@CabanD22) September 27, 2022
The poster, crafted by both Cabán and New York Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, counsels local businesses to call 311 to request a street outreach team if encountering homelessness outside their establishments. Small business owners are also advised to employ specific strategies for deescalating potential conflicts, including the “Five ‘Ds’ of Upstander Intervention.” “Say ‘no,’ ‘stop,’ or ‘that is not okay,'” the tip sheet suggests.
The same day the progress leaders promoted the poster’s release, a New York EMS lieutenant was brutally stabbed to death in the same borough Cabán represents. A 24-year veteran of the fire department, Alison Russo-Elling died “in a barbaric and completely unprovoked attack,” the Caller reported at the time.
Long Island restaurant owner Giana Cerbone was flabbergasted at the recommendations, the New York Post reported. “Are you kidding me?! … Who does she want us to call, Ghostbusters?!,” she said, according to the outlet.
