Lucas,
I know a lot of people are nervous about what will happen after January 20 when President-elect Trump is sworn in. I hear it all the time as I travel throughout the city. So I want to share a few thoughts that may help:
First and foremost, we have quite a few tools at our disposal to protect New York City’s interests and our values, and I will not hesitate to use them. But there are several specific questions I’ve received over the past two months, so let me take this opportunity to address those as well.
1. The federal government cannot tell us how to police our streets. We are not going back to a failed stop-and-frisk system.
2. Immigrants are part of our communities. They are our neighbors, and we are not going to let information used to obtain IDNYC cards be used to tear families apart.
3. If Republicans threaten funding for Planned Parenthood of New York City, we will ensure women receive the health care they need.
Now that you’ve heard from me, I want to hear from you:
No matter what happens please remember that our greatest strength as a city is the energy and passion of our people. We are all in this together, and if we all make our voices heard we have it within our power to change the trajectory of a Trump presidency. Never forget that fact.
In solidarity,
Bill de Blasio
Mayor, New York City