Transcript: Mayor Bill de Blasio Delivers Remarks at National Action Network Convention Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

April 13, 2016

Video available at: https://youtu.be/JU1aE0NgnCw

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you so much, Rev. Rev, you know, for years and years you’ve seen what the conventional wisdom didn’t see. When you created NAN – I remember when you created NAN – people didn’t understand the sweep of your vision. They didn’t understand that you could build something that would have such a lasting impact and such a national impact. But that is because many times, when you’ve said we could change, a lot of the conventional wisdom said it was impossible.

And Rev, what we all have to thank you for is not believing that things weren’t possible but creating a new reality, and helping us get to a better place.

[Applause]

NAN has become, across this country, a voice of conscience, a place where people are mobilized to demand their rights, to make this nation live up to its laws and ideals. NAN has become greater every year, and I want to just say to everyone here, after 25 years of building this extraordinary organization, you’re a blessing unto this country. And I thank you. I thank you.

[Applause]

And, I just have to give a little credit here – beyond the vision, and the persistence, and the energy, and the eloquence of Reverend Sharpton, so many other people built this extraordinary organization. Let’s thank Reverend Doctor Franklyn Richardson for all he has done.

[Applause]

Let’s thank Michael Hardy [inaudible].

[Applause]

And all he has done. Let’s thank Kirsten John Foy.

[Applause]

And two leaders who have made this conference such an important thing this year for this nation – Jennifer Jones Austin and Keisha Sutton-James, thank you.

[Applause]

Let’s thank leaders who have inspired us regularly to put civil rights and human rights at the front of the agenda – and I am talking about one of the great consciences of this state, the head of the NAACP of New York, Hazel Dukes. Let’s thank her for all she has done.

[Applause]

Now, we are especially blessed. It makes me, as mayor of this city, very, very proud that NAN is having its convention here. But it makes me additionally proud that two great leaders of this nation are here on this stage. You know, President Obama put together an extraordinary cabinet. If you get to know, as I have, two secretaries who are here, it gives you a lot of faith in the direction this country is going in. I have to tell you, I have picked up the phone to Julián Castro more times than I can count because we’ve needed his help to make public housing better, we’ve needed his help to fight homelessness.

And he has answered the call every single time for New York City, and we thank you.

[Applause]

And in his current job, and in his previous job, Tom Perez helped us to bring diversity to the FDNY – the Fire Department of this city – that needed to look like New York City. It’s part of what we need to do all over this country.

[Applause]

And he’s fighting for higher wages and benefits all over this country as Secretary of Labor. Thank you Tom Perez for all you do.

[Applause]

You’ve heard from Tom DiNapoli, and Melissa Mark-Viverito, and Scott Stringer, all leaders of this city and state who helped to build the changes we need. I was really happy to hear Rev praise Eric Adams – but Rev I think you gave him a demotion. He was Captain Eric Adams when he retired from the NYPD, right?

[Applause]

Rev, you’ve got to be more sensitive. He was not just a Sergeant, he was a Captain.

Reverend Al Sharpton: He was a cop.

[Laughter]

Mayor: You know, Rev, I think you’re going to have to formally apologize for those remarks.

[Laughter]

I’m glad we got that worked out.

I want to thank all of the elected officials who are here – the state and local elected officials who have done so much working with our administration and in so many ways changed the city and state.

Look, I’m going to be very quick, but I want to make a point – Rev said something very powerful. There are so many limitations put on all of us. When you look at the public debate, when you look at the media pundits, when you look at the mainstream politicians, we’re constantly told what we can’t do, we’re constantly told that change must happen very, very slowly – if at all. But then there are these clarion voices that say, no it’s long overdue – time for change. And, in 2011 and 2012, Reverend Sharpton and leaders of conscience in this city said, look something is broken in New York City. The NYPD had a policy of stop-and-frisk. It was unconstitutional. It was wrong. It was counterproductive. It was treating young men of color as criminals, whether they had done anything or not.

[Applause]

Now, some of you may know, my own son is a young man of color, and I knew very personally the horrible stereotypes forced on our young men, even though, in this city, in this nation, they are our future, they are the leaders of tomorrow, they are the rock upon which we build our church in the future of this country.

So, we had to change that broken policy. And history needs to record that Reverend Sharpton, and NAN, and progressive labor unions, and elected officials, got together and did the Silent March of 2012, to say that we would not accept the broken stop-and-frisk policy anymore. Now, brothers and sisters, guess what? The minute that message started to gain momentum, guess what the counter-push was – if we reduce this broken unconstitutional, unfair policy there’ll be chaos. There’ll be rampant crime. If you want justice and fairness, of course there will be something bad that comes with that.

And you know people in this city did? They didn’t buy that. They saw through that. They know it was a false choice. Well, fast forward to today. In the year 2011, there were 700,000 stops – again, overwhelmingly of young men of color, and they were overwhelmingly innocent in every way, shape, or form. Now, last year about 25,000 stops, and they were predominantly people who, in fact, there was a legitimate reason to stop – associated with the criminal justice system.

So, guess what happened at the same time? Crime went down.

[Applause]

Crime went down because the police and the community started working together, because the barrier was removed. The thing that was standing in the way of a bomb between police and community was taken away. Police and community started communicating, and acting as partners. And guess what else went down – complaints against police went down 25 percent.

[Applause]

Because we helped our police officers to know the best way to engage community members, to de-escalate conflict. This is the way of the future and it is being proven here in the biggest city in the country, but it would not have happened if NAN hadn’t stood up and said it was time for a change.

[Applause]

And also I have to thank Reverend Sharpton and NAN for supporting us on another front that we desperately have to address and has to be addressed every day in cities in this country. You cannot have a fair and equal society, you cannot have opportunity or all if people can’t afford to live in their own neighborhoods.

[Applause]

So, with Rev’s help we passed the most progressive legislation in this country to mandate that developers build affordable housing – a requirement that they build affordable housing.

[Applause]

With Rev’s help – with NAN’s help we addressed one of the most profound issues based in our society, which is whether we were going to actually reach our children early enough to give them opportunity. And in this city we said we are going to reach every single young child and we are going to have pre-K for all for the entire City of New York.

[Applause]

Today in New York City, there are 68,500 children in pre-K – full-day pre-K, for free for every single one of those children.

[Applause]

More children in our pre-K classrooms than in the entire school system of Boston or the entire school system of San Francisco.

[Applause]

We had to reach them all because they are our future and they deserve it.

[Applause]

And finally, if we’re going to create opportunity, let’s say out loud the truth. If we’re going to create opportunity then we need to put resources, we need to put money in the hands of people who will hire people from every community.

[Applause]

We have to break the status quo. The status quo hasn’t worked. That’s why this administration in the last year has authorized $1.6 billion in contracts for MWBEs. And our commitment to minority and women owned businesses over the next 10 years is $16 billion in contracts.

[Applause]

These are the things that actually lead to change. So, I’ll conclude with this, I want you to take stock of this moment – 25 years of NAN. 25 years of success in making change; helping to elect people with a progressive vision; helping to change broken policies like stop-and-frisk, and change them into policies of fairness and inclusion; helping to elevate communities all over this country and now we find ourselves in this moment in 2016 where the pendulum is swinging very fast. You know how people use to say you can’t talk about things like taxing the wealthy? That was not supposed to be politic. You couldn’t talk about income inequality. If you said we need $15 minimum wage, people would say that’s crazy we can’t reach that. That was just a few years ago. Today, everyone is talking about a $15 minimum wage all over this country.

[Applause]

Today, everyone is saying income inequality is unacceptable and our [inaudible] unsustainable as a nation and if we don’t change we’re on a very dangerous path. Today, there are presidential candidates – I’m not going to name names,

[Laughter]

but more than one. And they’re saying we must tax the wealthy more – the wealthy need to pay their fair share so we can fix this country.

[Applause]

Something big is happening in America. It is a progressive moment and if we all do our work it will become a more progressive moment. It will be the beginning of a larger progressive era and we will be present at the creation. And NAN will help lead the way. And NAN, because you believe in building leadership, you believe in reaching our young people and deputizing them now – you are going to help that generation come along, that will take us places we never imagined. And that’s what this convention is all about.

Thank you, and God bless you all.

[Applause]

Wait, I have a proclamation, Rev. Hold on now Rev, we’re going to do something mainstream here, Rev. Rev, on behalf of 8.5 million New Yorkers – and congratulating you for 25 exceptional years, I now name today, April 13, 2016, National Action Network Day in the City of New York.

[Applause]