PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Colin Buckingham, Disability Advocate and Activist
3:48:10
ยท
3 min
Colin Buckingham, a disability advocate and activist, expresses support for the bills and resolutions passed, while calling for increased accountability and oversight of the NYPD, particularly regarding facial recognition technology, collaboration with federal agencies, and treatment of disabled individuals. He raises concerns about potential misuse of surveillance technologies and the impact on vulnerable populations.
- Buckingham highlights the need for more scrutiny of NYPD's classification of criminal acts and use of facial recognition technology.
- He expresses concern about the mayor's collaboration with ICE and the potential risks this poses to the disabled population of New York.
- Buckingham proposes legislative changes to increase NYPD accountability, including making "protect and serve" a legal requirement and adjusting how misconduct lawsuit payments are handled.
Colin Buckingham
3:48:10
Hi.
3:48:11
My name is Buckingham.
3:48:12
I oh, there we go.
3:48:14
Hi.
3:48:14
My name is Colin Buckingham.
3:48:15
I work in disability advocacy and activism in that way.
3:48:23
I want to express support for the bill and resolutions passed today.
3:48:27
I wish there had been more expansive questioning when the NYPD was testifying on what they classify as criminal acts that they are able to use these facial recognitions on and the discernment between false identities and false arrests versus false convictions, especially with the mayor meeting with the current president and, affirming his support to support ICE and including placing them on Rikers Island.
3:49:01
I think more accountability is going to be needed not just for the NYPD, but their collaboration with federal agencies in general, especially with what has been alleged as a quid pro quo agreement that Eric Adams has reached with the Borders Czar.
3:49:17
I also want to stress that the disabled population of New York is facing an increased risk with, this potential or further of collaboration, and the groundwork has been laid for this with, hostile architecture being implemented, involuntary hospitalization, and the NYPD being documented having blocked emergency exits, whether through them or through outside security forces that that the MTA or city officials have hired under the guise of wanting to curb illegal turnstile jumping.
3:49:52
Also, on that topic, we are aware of the incident of the MIPD firing shots in a crowded subway station, injuring many people, including permanently disabling more than one person.
3:50:07
And this was under the guise of allegedly thinking that someone had jumped the turnstile.
3:50:13
And meanwhile, the subway shooter last year had to turn himself into the NYPD, and they were not able to find this person.
3:50:22
Fifty percent of people killed by the NY led by cops are disabled and further oversight and safety procedures such as the ones introduced today and even going further, I feel like are needed.
3:50:34
I also want to urge the city council to do more to increase accountability for the NYPD.
3:50:40
We all see their emblazoned logos, which is protect and serve, and yet they're not legally required by any stature of state or federal proceedings to protect citizens.
3:50:54
I would like to propose that the council and any legislative body introduce bills that would make this a legal requirement.
3:51:02
And if, noncompliance with either any of these accountability proceedings, including this proposed one, is something that happens, then the NYPD would be required to remove that slogan and potentially have misconduct out lawsuits of which more than $205,000,000 of taxpayer money was paid out to the NYPD last year.
3:51:25
That would have to come out I wanted to propose that the council propose something that would make that come out of the pensions of the officers that were arraigned in that scenario.
3:51:36
Thank you.