Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Holds Media Availability Following Remarks at the Ford Foundation

February 11, 2015

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Something quick up front – first of all, this may be the most elegant press conference setting we’ve had all year. Great honor to be a part of this conference here at the Ford Foundation because they’re grappling with what I think is a profound national challenge – a big challenge here in our city – how to ensure internet access, because that really is the equivalent of saying how we’re going to ensure educational access, economic access, employment access. 

More and more, if we’re going to have a society that’s fair and full of opportunity, people have to have access to high-speed internet. And we’re trying to do that win some very powerful ways here in the city, with what we’ve done with the pay phones, turning them into Wi-Fi hotspots. It’ll be the fastest municipal Wi-Fi network on earth. We’re very proud of that development. We’re looking forward to that being built out. And what we’re doing in our NYCHA community centers to make computer access available and internet access available, what we’re doing with our libraries to get up to 10,000 young people this year and, hopefully, many more thereafter – the opportunity to bring Wi-Fi devices home and have access that way. 

We’re going to have do all this and more to ensure that we have a fairer society. I think the folks here today are really working on how to make this a national movement to achieve that fairness – and again, very, very heartened by the recent actions of the FCC chairman, Chairman Wheeler, calling for net neutrality. I think that’s a pivotal step that I think harbors well for fairness and equalness going forward. 

So, with that, I want to take your questions on any topics. Yes.

Question: Mayor de Blasio, yesterday, the City Council – the City Council hearing about the NYCHA privatization plan – there was some concern expressed that there was a lack of transparency. Some members seemed to feel that they were caught unawares. What role did the administration play, either behind the scenes or as part of the process, to bring that deal to fruition? 

Mayor: I’m not familiar with the specifics that the members of the council are concerned about, so I don’t want to go into details –

Question: But just in terms of what role – just take it from there – what – from the standpoint of what role did the Mayor’s Office play – NYCHA’s nominally an independent agency but there’s some interplay, I’m sure, between your administration –

Mayor: Well, again, not knowing the specific case you’re referring to, I’ll make the broad point. You know, we do work very, very closely, of course, with the housing authority. And our vision – our broad vision for the future is that we want a very different relationship with the tenants than has been had in the past. We’re obviously making some very substantial investments in NYCHA to try and fix a lot of the problems of the past –and that we’re not going to take action on developing questions without a real, involved effort with the tenants and with the surrounding communities. So, that’s the approach that we have committed to.

Question: Did you sign off on the deal though?

Mayor: Again, I don’t know the specifics –

Question: Did you sign off on the deal – the NYCHA deal?

Mayor: What I want to – what I want to hear about is the specifics of the deal so I can comment, but I can’t do that here because I’m not familiar with the specifics.

Question: Mayor, I know you put a statement out yesterday, but I wanted to see – what would you tell New Yorkers who are confused about our justice system – that we see an indictment returned in the Akai Gurley case, yet not in the Eric Garner case?

Mayor: First of all, you know that I don’t comment on the specifics of the judicial process. I don’t think that’s my place. I represent the executive branch. The judicial branch is separate. I think we have to respect that branch. But what’s clear here is, you know, we don’t know the specifics yet, but it appears that something is going to proceed, and that is what the judicial branch will do and then, of course, the NYPD has its own internal proceedings in each case. And I think it’s important for people to see each case as individual and watch the entire play-out of all the pieces – what happens in the judicial process, what happens in the NYPD. In some cases, there may be a federal process as well. And that’s how you can judge, in the end, how the process worked – is to see all the pieces play out.

Question: You called the day of Eric Garner’s not – the non-indictment of Officer Dan Pantaleo – a painful day. Was yesterday, or today, a less painful day, in your opinion? 

Mayor: Well that day was absolutely painful for so many people because we watched this man die on video tape. And, you know, I can’t think of any situation previously that was quite as searing. And a lot of people felt a great sense of loss. I don’t think it’s smart to compare the different cases. I think what matters is that, at the end of the entire process, what was done and, at that point, did people think there was a sense of fairness through the process. And again, we’ll see that play out here.

Question: Do you think people will be reassured by this –

Mayor: I don’t speculate on that. Again, this process is just beginning. Let’s let it play out. 

Question: Are you worried –

Question: Mr. Mayor –

Question: Are you worried that this might damage NYPD morale – having an indictment of a police officer?

Mayor: I think that each case is individual. And I think people understand that, and that there has to be accountability by definition. It’s part of the checks and balances of our governing system. I think that folks at the NYPD look at each case individually as well. 

Question: Mr. Mayor, do you think –

Question: Mr. Mayor, you spoke the night of the –

Mayor: I'll come around, don't worry. 

Question: You spoke the night of the Garner grand jury decision, particularly to the city's black community – that sense of disappointment and frustration they might have felt at the legal system. Do you feel that they now should have some degree of – if not satisfaction, but some sense that justice is on its way? Could you speak to that community again?

Mayor: Well, again, I don't speak to what happens in the judicial process. What I would say to all communities in this city is that real changes are happening in the way we police, and in the relationship between police and community, and that that's what we really have to focus on – the things that, because the people voted, and made a decision on a new direction for the city. The changes that are occurring – the number of stops down from a high of over 700,000, you know, four years ago – under 50,000 this last year; the great reduction of – over 65 percent reduction in marijuana arrests for low-level offenses; the retraining of the police force to reduce the use of force in encounters with civilians; the beginning of the pilot on body cameras – these are all really fundamental changes that evince a different approach. Commissioner Bratton and I fundamentally believe in bringing police and community together. We believe in community policing. We believe in a different kind of dialogue and partnership. That's the piece that we control. And that's the piece that is moving rapidly forward. The judicial system is its own – has its own dynamic. I think what people are looking at is, are the big substantive changes being made? Are the big policy changes being made? And the answer is yes. 

Question: Mayor, the NYPD has described this as essentially an accidental shooting. [inaudible] matter of principle, if in fact that's the case, do you think that someone should still be punished or held accountable for –

Mayor: That's why we have investigations. That's why we have a judicial process, and we have due process. Everyone has rights in this system. And again, we haven't heard the formal charges from the Brooklyn DA yet, but in every case – and I think this is something that people, you know, deserve to have clear picture of – the DAs have the first opportunity to look at a situation, and determine with a grand jury what action will be taken. Then again, on top of that, the police department will have its own investigation afterwards, and in some cases, there are other entities like the federal government who get involved. So, that sense of – there has to be an investigation to get at the facts. And there will be outcomes depending on that investigation. I think that is quite clear, and people are going to see that play out in this case.

Question: Mr. Mayor, have you read the charges against Shelly Silver yet, and if so, what did you think of them?

Mayor: I have not.

Question: You know, what do you say to members of the Chinese community who feel that, you know, Officer Liang is the actual victim here, he's being singled out because, you know, perhaps – I'm not saying because of his ethnicity, but you know, he's being victimized by this process right now, especially in the aftermath of the Wenjian – Wenjian Liu –

Mayor: Again, there's a due process – there will be due process here, as he deserves, as everyone deserves. There will be due process. The only thing we know for sure is there was a human tragedy involving Mr. Gurley. He's gone. You know, I've spent time with his domestic partner and his child. You know, they've lost a loved one, and that's a fact that's a tragedy. But everything else has to be determined through a judicial process. We can't act like we know the facts until that process plays out.

Phil: Couple more, guys.

Question: Mr. Mayor, so, why did you change your tone in your statements now, regarding this case, as opposed to the Eric Garner situation?

Mayor: I don't know where the change in tone is. 

Question: Well, in – just, you're now saying – you know, more down the middle, justice system has to run its course, and in Eric Garner, you seemed to outrage the police department –

Mayor: Well, that's again – I –

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: – I have great respect for you, but that is an editorial comment. I don't think acknowledging the realities in our city, in our country, are such a shocking thing to do, and we've had this discussion many times over, and I stand by what I said. Again, this is the beginning of a judicial process, and we're going to see how this plays out. I think the Garner case was very particular, because people watched every second of his death, and felt something very deep about it – and it wasn't just members of the African-American community, as one of your colleagues said earlier. I think people felt it across all races and backgrounds. They watched a man die who clearly shouldn't have died. So I think that was a moment of particular pain that was important to address. I think now we're – we're moving forward, again, with a whole host of reforms and changes to bring police and community together. There obviously is a due process going on here. I think, you know, we need to keep doing our work, and I think each situation is different, and the appropriate thing to say now is let this due process play out, let's continue big work that affects people every single day – not one case, but hundreds of thousands of people – which is continuing the reforms, the body cameras, the retraining of the police, the reduction in the stops, the reduction in marijuana arrests. Those are things that affect everyday New Yorkers every single day. 

Phil: Let's do one more here, and then we'll [inaudible]

Question: On a different topic – there was a report this morning that you won't be marching in this year's St. Patrick's Day Parade. I was wondering if you can just comment on where your thinking is on that – 

Mayor: I haven't seen that report, and that report is premature. What we've said is, we're evaluating the new situation. I have not heard the details yet of what the new plan is. I only was aware of the reports that came out weeks and weeks ago about a change in the approach. We need to see the details of that. We need to see what level of inclusion is being afforded. So, I'm going to keep an open mind, but I – it's very, very important to me that all events like that be inclusive.

Phil: Thanks, guys –

Question: Are you concerned the Pink Houses contributed to what happened with Mr. Gurley –

Mayor: What does that mean?

Question: The condition – the dark hallways, and the conditions of the NYCHA facility?

Mayor: We have a lot to do in NYCHA to make up for years and years of disinvestment. But again, I'm not going to prejudge the specifics of the case. That's why we have an investigation.

Phil: Thanks guys.

Mayor: Thanks. 

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