Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Launches Interagency Working Group to Implement 'Vision Zero,' Prevent Pedestrian Fatalities

January 15, 2014

Mayor de Blasio: Well, I just have to say at the outset, it is incredibly painful to hear the stories of these families and what they’ve gone through, and I think every one of us is resolute about the changes we have to make but these stories are – they’re so gripping and so difficult to hear – the loss that people have suffered, and it’s – if we needed any further clarity about how urgent this work is, we’ve just heard it now, from the parents who’ve lost their children. And so this is going to be a central focus of our administration because the human cost is simply unacceptable, and if you talk to these parents you’ll know immediately what I mean. 

Let me express my appreciation to everyone who’s here in common cause today. You’ll be hearing in a moment from two commissioners, who are going to be leaders in this effort to make a change in our city, and I’m so appreciative for the deep commitment that they both share on this issue. Of course, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and our current – as of today, still current – United States Department of Transportation Undersecretary Polly Trottenberg, but next week she will be New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. So, she’ll speak in her federal capacity today and we look forward to her joining us next week. 

I want to thank the elected officials who are here – who I know, from working with all of them – they share our commitment and our focus, starting with our new Queens Borough President Melinda Katz – thank you. Thank you to State Senators Toby Stavisky and Mike Gianaris – and if I missed anyone please remind me – Assembly Member Mike DenDekker; City Councilmembers Jimmy Van Bramer, Danny Dromm and David Greenfield. I want to thank the precinct commander, Deputy Inspector Kevin Maloney, who’s been very responsive in working with us to make sure children are safe and who I had the honor of working with in the Rockaways after Sandy hit. And I want to thank the principal of this school, Vincent Vitolo for his good work. 

Let me speak very personally to begin. I see this through the eyes of a parent. I see this as a father. The day that Chirlane and I brought Chiara home from Methodist Hospital – I’ve said many times – that was the life changing moment; that was the dividing line in so much of my life and Chirlane’s life, when our first child was born. And our understanding of everything that mattered in our life changed. And our focus, from that moment on, became the health and safety of our child, and then of Dante, when he came along. And I think all the parents here – anyone who’s listening who’s a parent – understands that this is the core of our lives, making sure our children get to live, get to prosper, get to enjoy a life ahead. 

And no matter what else has happened to me in the last 19 years, from that moment on, I saw the world first through the eyes of a parent. I interpreted everything as a parent first from that moment on. And I know that Bill Bratton felt the same way from the moment his first child was born. I know Polly Trottenberg feels the same way as a parent. We all have that sense of our first mission, our first obligation. So when I read about these horrible moments, when I read about these tragedies and this loss of life, it’s very personal for me because I can see it through the eyes of my fellow parents and of course, every one of us thinks, what if that was my child. And that is in fact how we have to make public policy and how we have to implement public policy, with the notion in mind – what if it was my child?

The families joining us today have turned their grief into action. They have spoken out. They need to know that their city hears them. They need to know that we will act. And we are here to tell them that we stand with them and we’re starting immediately to make changes to protect our children – and to protect all New Yorkers. And we’re dedicating ourselves to not just learning from each of these tragedies, but using them as the basis for action that will save lives, that will mean that others will be spared the horrible pain that they are suffering. 

And no, it was not easy for the parents of Noshat Nahian to be here today. I can tell from the conversation I had with them that every moment they spent in this space has been painful and difficult for them – every moment recounting what happened, and what their son hoped for in this country, and what is now lost. I could tell it was deeply painful, but I also admired that they wanted to tell their story, they wanted their sons memory to continue, and they wanted us to learn and act. So I want to thank Mohammed Osma Miah and Nargish Begum for their courage and their strength, and again extend the deepest condolences of the people of New York City to them. 

Commissioner Bratton and Deputy Secretary Trottenberg and I stood a few moments ago at Noshat’s memorial, and you could feel there how great the sense of loss was, you could feel how different things could have been, you could see exactly where his life was lost and that it didn’t have to be that way. Unfortunately, as some of the families who are here today emphasized to me, this is a crisis that is happening each and every day in our city. So far this year we’ve lost 11 New Yorkers on our streets. Seven of them were pedestrians.

Now, I remind everyone – something we can’t say enough – the first obligation of government is to protect the health and safety of our people. And this is an area in which we simply have to do better. I said, on inauguration day, that we were here to make changes, and we meant it. And this is an example where we will act immediately. And I want to emphasize that we are making this statement just two weeks into this administration, because we think there is an epidemic here. There’s been an epidemic of traffic fatalities, and it can’t go on, and the time to start change is now.

Let me define, just clearly, what we’re facing. According to the city Department of Health, being struck by a vehicle is the leading cause of injury-related death for kids younger than 14 in this city. It’s the second leading cause of injury-related death for our seniors. In the past decade, 1,766 pedestrians were struck and killed on our streets – almost 2,000 people lost in the last ten years on our streets – and 30,000 were hospitalized, as a result of these crashes. Let me put this in perspective – and I think this is one of the most sobering statistics you’re ever going to hear  – we are so proud of the progress we’ve made in fighting crime in this city, we’re so appreciative to the men and women of the NYPD. And last year we had 333 homicides in New York City, which was a record low – 333 homicides, and yet we had 286 traffic fatalities. And that data is not 100 percent complete, since the year just ended. It is shocking to see how those two numbers correspond and it makes clear how much more focus and energy we have to put on the issue of traffic fatalities. It’s a public safety problem, it’s a public health problem, it affects children, it affects seniors – it affects all elements of what we in government do on behalf of communities. But unfortunately, oftentimes, here – and I think it's true in many other parts of the country – the silos in government, the separation between agencies, did not lead to the kind of focus, the kind of coordinated effort to take on this growing challenge. And we didn't use all the tools we had to protect our people the way we might have, and that includes enforcement, that includes education, that includes the design of our streets. There's more we can do on each and every one of these fronts, and the time to do that is now. 

So, today I'm announcing the immediate formation of an interagency working group to implement Vision Zero. We've talked about Vision Zero. We've seen it succeed in other countries. It is time to implement it here and now in New York City. So we're calling together the New York City Police Department, the Department of Transportation, the Health Department, and the Taxi and Limousine Commission to make common cause to implement this plan. The message will be clear from the top of our city government, from the top of each agency, that all agencies are expected to participate, that every individual who works for these agencies – the four I've named in particular – needs to be focused on this goal. 

The goal is literally to reduce fatalities on our roadways to zero. That is our singular focus. And to save every life we can. The notion of Vision Zero – and again, this is an idea that spread because it works – there is ample evidence, particularly in Europe, of the effectiveness of this approach. The core concept is it treats every death as preventable, and looks at the root causes, and looks at the fact that there are ways to change people's habits, there's  ways for government to act to protect people that we haven't done enough of. But that can work, when applied in a really comprehensive and focused fashion. 

We've seen a similar mindset achieve great things, for example, when it comes to child welfare, or child protective efforts. And we have to apply the same thinking consistently to street safety. The working group comprised of the leaders of each of these four agencies – who will report to me by February 15th with very specific and concrete plans – that will include dedicating sufficient NYPD resources and personnel to deter the most dangerous behavior, particularly the behavior of speeding and failing to yield to pedestrians. We plan to immediately improve at least 50 dangerous corridors and intersections, we intend to make that the goal for each year, to improve 50 more; to begin the process immediately of reducing the speed limit in a number of streets – on a number of streets in our city – there's a number of streets that really should have a 20 mile per hour speed limit – we're going to delineate the plan to get that done; and develop a legislative agenda for traffic safety including tougher laws that ensure that people who take a life because of negligence or because they are breaking a law are held accountable. We're not going to accept the notion that the different agencies are off on their own separate missions when it comes to this. We're going to demand that this be a common effort – that all hands are on deck. Again, the report will be due on February 15th. It will be a matter of public record. It will be a measure that keeps us accountable. And it will be a roadmap for our efforts ahead. 

And we've made clear to the agencies involved that we expect them to start right away to prepare for these next steps. Our agencies have identified immediate steps that we'll take to address some of the horrible crashes that have just happened in the last few weeks. I want to personally thank Commissioner Bratton for his focus on this issue, and for ensuring that the precinct dispatched a police officer to man this post at the site where this tragedy occurred, so children could cross Northern Boulevard safely. That officer – there will be an officer posted at that site every day during the hours in which kids go to school and come home from school, until such time as the school crossing guard takes over that responsibility. 

Beginning tomorrow, speed enforcement cameras that are being installed, finally, after years of this city asking of Albany the right, simply, to protect our own people, and we've finally begun the process, the nascent process of putting speed cameras in place. In the last few months, these cameras have issued warnings. Starting tomorrow they will begin issuing tickets to enforce the speed limit on some of our most dangerous streets. So starting tomorrow, where the new speed cameras have been installed, there will be tickets and there will be consequences for speeding. And I've said, we fought long and hard to begin to put in the speed cameras we need – we need many more. It's part of our legislative efforts in Albany. We're going to fight for the home rule right to install speed cameras and red light cameras wherever data shows that they will make our streets safer. 

Look, this is a right the city needs to have. We have to protect our people. We need to be able to do that quickly and in a focused manner. We should not have to constantly go to Albany and have our efforts limited when we're trying to protect our own people. We're going to increase NYPD staffing levels. The commissioner will go into greater detail, but we're going to have an increase of 60 officers focused on efforts related to traffic safety. 

I want the families who are here today to know that we hear what they're saying, that we are not going to let them down. Their cry for help, their cry for focus of all of us on saving lives, couldn't be clearer. They are right to hold us accountable. They're right to demand more. Again, I feel so much for them and also have so much admiration that they are trying with all their might to protect others. They, in each and every case, have lost someone, and yet they are trying with all their might to make sure that we as a city lose no more people. And that is entirely noble. And they, to me, are moral arbiters in this fight, and we want to show them the kind of focus and commitment that they deserve.

Just a very brief comment in Spanish, before I call upon Commissioner Bratton and Deputy Secretary Trottenberg.

Nada es más importante en la labor que realizamos en el gobierno que proteger la salud y la seguridad de nuestra gente.

El día que llegamos a City Hall prometí a los neoyorquinos que no íbamos a esperar para hacer cambios. Lo dije en serio. 

Estoy llamando a las agencias de la Ciudad para que trabajen juntas a fin de acabar con las muertes de tránsito en nuestras calles.

[Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and Deputy Secretary & Incoming DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg deliver remarks]

Mayor: I just want to say it was very gratifying to see the initial discussion that Commissioner Bratton and Deputy Secretary Trottenberg had, because there was an instant synergy, an instant sense of this being a common goal, a common mission. I mentioned to Commissioner Bratton, I was very impressed by the speech he gave – I guess it was a couple of months ago – at NYU on traffic safety, and on the role the NYPD needs to play, and a real reinterpretation of the role police have to play going forward to keep us safe in every single way. So I deeply appreciate his vision and commitment. Deputy Secretary Trottenberg – I can tell from our many conversations – feels this urgently, has thought about this not just in a local context, but a national context – understands developments all over the globe, and new efforts that have worked. Their teamwork is going to save many lives in this city, and it's real, and it's organic, and very, very gratifying. So, I want to thank them both for the mindset they bring, the focus they bring, and I think it's going to have a very big impact on this town very quickly.  

With that, I’d like to welcome your questions.

Question: How many –

Mayor: On topic first, then we’ll do any off topic. Go ahead. 

Questions: – cameras with the ability to issue tickets do we have right now and where are they? Also for Commissioner Bratton, how many of his officers go to the highway division? Are they being transferred [inaudible], are they new hires, or where are these officers coming from? 

Mayor: I’ll start by saying with absolute respect – we don’t make it a practice to tell people where the cameras are, because the point is ,we’re trying to get people out of the habit of speeding in general. Cameras are at some of the most dangerous intersections in the city. Sadly there are many. And again, part of why we feel so strongly about the fact that we want the right not to be held back by Albany, as we have a lot of work to do – so this next set of cameras, and I’m going to look to the deputy secretary, I think there’s going to be six in this next set, but there are – [inaudible] authorized another 20, but there’s so much more work to be done. But what we want from people – and I say this from my own personal experience as a motorist as well – we want people to be careful at every intersection, not just the ones where they know there might be a camera. Let me call the commissioner forward for his part of the question.

Police Commissioner Bill Bratton: The – actually 270 officers that will ultimately comprise the highway division are being recruited – regional officers from the current ranks of the department, so that process is under way. So it’s not an increase in the size of the force but people there being drawn from within the numbers that we already have.

Question: [inaudible] in some suburban areas, they have the slow zones around schools– 15 miles an hour with lights that warn people, during school hours you have to go 15 miles an hour. I wonder if you thought about doing that here in New York City, particularly around schools, but also would you do it in other places that seem to be more dangerous intersections?

Mayor: I’ll speak about the sort of general philosophy and then if Polly wants to add, feel free. You know, I learned a lot about this when I was a council member and we had a lot of problems around our schools with speeding and I think there’s a number of different methodologies you can use. So I think the way I say it is, we are very focused on securing the areas around our schools. And in some cases that is about speed limits; or maybe speed cameras; in some places, speed humps have been used; enforcement – there’s a lot of different pieces. Many times, you use many of them in concert. But we’re going to be very very focused on improving safety around our schools. There are some other areas of concern, like senior centers or areas that are frequented by seniors where there’s been a number of accidents. So I think we have a particular sensitivity to the schools but we’re going to be looking for wherever there’s been a pattern and figure out what combination of solutions is necessary. That okay? Did I speak enough transportation-speak there?

Question: Curious, for the 50 dangerous intersections in [inaudible] 20 mph zones [inaudible] what the criteria are for designations of those speed limits?

Mayor: For this, I will turn to Polly. So, again, we're – my simple layman’s answer is one of the things we look at is where the problems have been, and obviously, who – the constituency, the population – is in that area, kids going to school being an obvious one. But in terms of a deeper explanation of the criteria, take it away. 

Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg: And this one – I may also actually call up Lori Ardito, who is currently the acting Commissioner of New York City DOT. The city takes a very data-driven approach on deciding where to do the slow zones, and maybe Lori, if you want to speak in a little more detail about it. 

Acting Commissioner Lori Ardito: Lori Ardito – L-O-R-I A-R-D-I-T-O. Again, if we actually look right outside here, we have 15 mile an hour speed zones around schools. So we have many of them already in place, and we’re going to continue to look around schools and obviously if we know there is speeding I think – to the mayor’s point, which is that, you know, we have a lot of tools in our toolbox and we’re going to look to all of them to try to reduce the speed limit.

Question: Do you believe that there are more cases where criminal charges are appropriate under current law with, you know, drives who reckless drive [inaudible] in particular, there is a cab driver who was issued only a ticket in the death of a young boy, do you see [inaudible]?

Mayor: Let me first offer a caution, and then offer my own personal view. The caution is I am not a law enforcement professional, nor am I a lawyer. But I do think, by definition, there are more cases that deserve those charges. I don’t want to speak to any particular case. But my broad view is that there are more cases that deserve those charges. Again, if either of you want to add. Okay.
Yes.

Question: Follow-up on that –

Mayor: Okay, actually, you and then you. Hold on. 

Question: Mayor, you said the report of the working group would be a matter of public record. Will the public be allowed to attend any of the meetings of the working group? And if not, how will the public input be part of that process?

Mayor: I want to differentiate the internal discussions from the final product. I think we have already a real devotion to working with families, and working with advocates – who have done, I think, an extraordinary job of bringing these issues to light. I know that both commissioners are devoted to that kind of dialogue, so that will certainly be a part of both the process in this next month, but more importantly going forward, to make sure our implementation works. But as with everything government, there are some internal meetings that are appropriately kept internal. The final document will be public and it will be a set of measures that people can use to keep us accountable and this is going to be an on-going effort. We will be at this for four years and with constant efforts to work with stakeholders at the community level to make it work. Again, I’m going to just do a blanket to my colleagues – any time you want to jump in, pat me on the shoulder. 
Yes sir.

Question: Firstly, for Commissioner Bratton, what is the hurdle that prevents drivers, who seem to have been driving either exhibiting recklessness or negligence, from being charged criminally? Second of all, if a law needs to be change, does the mayor go to Albany to look for these changes or can those changes be implemented from here?

Commissioner Bratton: The hurdle basically is appropriate evidence. That the existing laws, in terms of assuring, to the best of our ability, that we investigate these cases so that if there is criminality involved, that we have the ability to work with the District Attorneys to move those charges forward. And so the strengthening of our investigative capabilities – the ability to have collision experts, to have drug-screening experts – more of them so that we can report and respond to much more of these incidents – I think you will see an increase in our capabilities to go to the District Attorney with evidence that they can then use to have more significant prosecutions and penalties. As to potential changes in existing legislation, well I think that may be part of the on-going process to take a look at – are we doing enough with the laws that we have, or do we in fact need more?

Mayor: And look, we’re at – something that requires action in Albany, we’re going to prioritize it. Something that we think, like speed cameras, should be our own choice to make, we’re going to argue that Albany should simply assent to the focus we have on protecting our own people. And when it’s something that requires city legislation or our colleagues in the City Council, who will obviously – the three members who are here I know are very devoted, and I know many other members are devoted to making improvements – so we’ll be working together on that. 

Question: I know it’s something that you’ve personally looked at before – are you satisfied with the teeth that the laws we have right now, as it pertains to criminal prosecutions and drivers?

Mayor: I’m going to reaffirm – I am not a lawyer, nor a law enforcement professional, but no, I’m not satisfied. 

Question: About your Albany agenda – right now, pre-k – 

Mayor: This is on this topic? Yes.

Question: Pre-k is your number one push up there. Will you launch a similar campaign after pre-k, before either traffic cameras or changes in the law at the state level [inaudible]?

Mayor: Well, we’re going to have a comprehensive Albany agenda, in many many areas. This is obviously going to be a priority. I think nothing is quite like the pre-k issue, in terms of the magnitude of what we have to do to get this change to happen. My hope is on the legislative agenda we’re discussing here, that it will be quickly embraced by all elements in Albany and we can act on it quickly. So I think each piece is a little different but this will be a central part of our legislative agenda. 

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: I'll come over – I'm sorry, I've been neglecting the right side. I'll come over to you in just a second. Go ahead. 

Question: Just wondering if any family members who are here today [inaudible] anyone who spoke would be willing to [inaudible]?

Mayor: What I’ll do is this – let me – let me just give them a moment to think about that. I’ll take another question in the meantime, but if any of the family members wants to come forward, I want to welcome them to do so. So after this next question, any one that wants to step forward, please do. And – yes. 

Question: [inaudible] 

Mayor: Louder, please.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: On this topic.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Correct.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: So, I’m going to repeat it just so people hear the question. It was about the fact that this tragedy that occurred right here down the street – the driver involved was unlicensed, and the question is – and apparently a New Jersey resident – the question is what kind of coordination can happen between states, between law enforcement agencies that follow up on that fact. And I’m going to turn to my colleagues, because I do not honestly know that answer.

Commissioner Bratton: This case is still moving forward. That – upon its final adjudication, that information would be entered into the various records that the states share among themselves, so that whatever the final adjudication is, the resolution of the charges that would be levied against the driver, that there are very comprehensive systems between the states sharing motor vehicle data, as well as criminal data. 

Mayor: I want to go back one step on the Albany question – let Senator Gianaris come up and just explain one effort being made now to try and strengthen the penalty. Senator Gianaris.

State Senator Michael Gianaris: Thank you. The question was well put, that the penalties and the laws currently are insufficient in terms of penalizing drivers who do this. The instance that occurred right on this corner behind us, the driver had a suspended license, and unfortunately the law only allows him to be charged with a misdemeanor and so he’s being charged with a misdemeanor for killing this child, which usually means little or no jail time. We did announce – myself, Senator Stavisky, I know Councilman Van Bramer was here at the announcement lending his support as well – an effort to change the law to make it a felony if anyone is killed or seriously injured by someone who shouldn’t be on the roads because they have a suspended license.

Mayor: On the previous request, the family members will be – who chose to speak to the media – will be available after, so I think that will be a better way to have a dialogue. And again, I just want to say to our colleagues in the media – some may be willing to speak, some may not feel comfortable, so you will use your discretion. 
Yes.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Well, we’re going to look at every piece of the equation. I – you know, as a public school parent – I have immense appreciation for our crossing guards. I think they do extraordinary work, and I think often unsung work. And they’re clearly one of the ways we keep our children safe. So we’re going to look at that as part of the equation with all of these other measures.

Question: The idea that you all – you noted that you put in a crossing guard after the boy was killed. What intersections have crossing guards? Do you have a certain number and the dates and times where they go? And just following up on that, I’ve surprised that wasn’t one of the measures posted here as something you're planning to [inaudible]?

Mayor: I don’t know the exact formula currently for deployment of crossing guards. We’re obviously going to look at that afresh and decide if we think there’s some areas that need more. But I think the things we’re talking about are foundational. You know, they’re to make sure people are safe, even when there are not personnel on the scene to help ensure their safety. So I very personally care about the issue of crossing guards and where we need them. I think we are particularly focused on the cameras and the other measures that have a 24/7 impact. Yes, sir?

Question: I know many activist organizations like community groups are working on the making sure Vision Zero is a reality. Are there any groups in particular that comes to mind that are going to be helping your administration?

Mayor: You know, we’ve worked with a number of organizations and I respect them all. I don’t want to play favorites or talk about particular relationships. The point is, I think – and I know this is something that Deputy Secretary Trottenberg feels – we have a lot of respect and appreciation for what the advocacy community has achieved, in terms of changing the public dialogue on these issues, and we want them very much to be at the table as we proceed. Yes. Go on, let’s make sure it goes on. Marcia?

Question: Commissioner Bratton talked about the fact that pedestrians contribute – I think 63 percent was the number he said – of contributing to accidents. I wonder if –

Mayor: Wait, say that again – I couldn’t hear.

Question: He talked about the fact that pedestrians often need to be educated, because their actions sometimes contribute to these situations. Are you going to take any – in addition to education – take any action against pedestrians – you know, jaywalking, things like that?

Commissioner Bratton: The initiative that the mayor is announcing today seeks to, in a comprehensive fashion, look at all of the things that are contributing to accidents, and certainly fatalities. As I’ve mentioned, the investigations that we’ve conducted today indicated that very frequently, it's a pedestrian action that contributes to the ultimate incident. So in terms of London, for example, they've had so many incidents involving tourists. The city has a great deal of tourism, that they basically put on the ground at every intersection "Look Left." Most people tend to look right at an intersection. So is there more that can be done here both in terms of warning, education, or potentially penalty? I believe there probably is, in all three categories, and that will be certainly something that I will take a look at during the next month.

Mayor: So I want to emphasize, and I think the big area for improvement there is education. I think we have to do a lot more to warn our people of the dangers, particularly the dangers to our children and our seniors. So I think our biggest focus in this plan is on the physical changes that we can make, but I think we want to also look at every way we can better educate our people to avoid these dangers. 
Yes.

Question: Mayor, what about education for children? Does the initiative include in-school instruction safety tips for children on how to cross the street?

Mayor: Yeah, I don’t want to get ahead of this working group, but I think that’s another obvious area where we can do more. And I think it’s – obviously we’re so particularly concerned for our kids and we have a chance to really make vivid for them what they have to do is protect themselves and their siblings, so that’s something that we’re going to look to do more on. 
Michael.

Reporter: Do you plan to expand the use of pedestrian plazas, and will your administration retain the plazas that have already been installed in the city?

Mayor: We’re going to look at a variety of traffic-calming measures in areas where there’s a problem. So I think – again, I’m a layman – I would say pedestrian plazas are there for more than one reason, but when you talk about some of the other tools we have for calming traffic – we’re going to look at the whole range of them, particularly for the most dangerous intersections. On the question of the plazas unto themselves – it’s what I’ve said previously – we’re going to look at them. I think in some cases we can tweak them, and make them more effective, make them work well with their surroundings. But that’s a broader review that we’ll do, and incoming Commissioner Trottenberg will be focused on it. All right, I think we have done a lot on this topic, let’s see if there’s anything else on other topics. 
Yes, sir.

Question: I wondered if if you might comment on how you feel about national media [inaudible] by the U.S. [inaudible] the standard-bearer of what some call [inaudible] that’s the characterization?

Mayor: My wife constantly talks about the problems of labels in our society, and I agree with her. I don’t want to get into an extended dialogue – I’m not talking about you, but in terms of the public discussion on how is best to label someone. I’d like to be known by my actions. So my focus is on work like this. And look, I say very clearly this is a progressive agenda, and I think it is a very bold agenda, in this area and many others. But rather than label it, let’s put it into effect and then let people judge for themselves. Yes?

Question: The September 11th Memorial Museum indicated that they're asking you to perhaps help subsidize the $60 million annual budget. Your predecessor [inaudible] Is this a position you will review or reverse the dialogue?

Mayor: The memorial is extraordinarily important to all of us. You know, very humanely, I think everyone I’m talking to here can think of someone in their lives who was directly affected by that day and certainly that was true for me and my family. And so it’s very personally important to all of us, and we want to make sure it’s properly supported. That being said, I honestly believe, and I think Mayor Bloomberg was right about this, that the federal government needs to play a role here. This is nationally important site. It’s something that people come to from all over the country, all over the world – and we need the federal government to join with us. 

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: I want to just say that broad statement. We’re committed to the memorial, but you know, I think we’ve got to have a serious conversation with the federal government about where we go from here. 
Yes.

Question: Mr. Mayor, [inaudible]?

Mayor: You're right. You were right.

Question: [inaudible] settlement of outstanding loss in related to the Republican National Convention? [inaudible] challenging constitutionality of the police department conduct – I was wondering if you and Commissioner Bratton have a [inaudible]?

Mayor: I will comment first if – did you hear? The Republican [inaudible] settlement.  

Commissioner Bratton: I will not comment.

Mayor: All right. That is a man of discretion. I will simply say I’m glad the case is settled. I have spoken before about my concerns about how that situation was handled at the time. And I’m glad we’re moving forward, and we’re going to take a very different view going forward about how we respect peoples’ rights to express themselves. 
Yes.

Question: When you were public advocate, you gave the NYPD an F with respect to Freedom of Information Law requests? I was wondering what your administration is doing, and what the NYPD is doing, to make [inaudible] more open to information requests?

Mayor: Well, we’re just starting, but I have to tell you – it’s been a very special pleasure in my life to start working with Commissioner Bratton. And if you’ve ever wanted to meet someone who has a clear philosophy about everything he’s doing, this is the guy. And he truly believes in working with the people in all we do. He believes in collaboration and partnership. He believes in transparency. So we’re going to look at everything that’s done in terms of public information in all agencies and try to improve it. I will hasten to add – commissioner, I think you’ll agree with me on this – there are some areas of the work that the NYPD does where there’s very serious confidentiality issues, there’s obviously national security issues, and those areas we’re going to handle very, very carefully. But there are other areas where we can do a much better job at transparency and we intend to do that. 
Grace.

Question: I have a question for the police commissioner. It’s a question about security measures that the city’s taking for the Super Bowl – any updates on security? 

Commissioner Bratton: As we get closer to the event, we’ll be providing certainly a lot more guidance to you, the media, to help us to guide the public, as to how to best situate that event. There’s so much of it this year in the city of New York, that we had a full briefing yesterday on it, and they’re going to be doing a number of tabletop exercises in our various commands around the city. We’ll make sure that every entity in the department that’s involved with that is up to speed. And those won’t just – those tabletop exercises won’t just involve the department, but all the related city, state, and national agencies that are involved in securing that event. I’m very comfortable, on everything I've been briefed on, that we are in fact going to have a safe, secure event – not only here, but certainly at the game itself. You know, the only thing up in the air right now is the weather. At least we'll have to wait and see what’s going to happen with that. 

Mayor: I want to do two, because I want to do Beth and Rafael – but I just want to say, I think Commissioner Bratton and his team are doing an extraordinary job preparing us for all the activities related to the Super Bowl. I think Commissioner Kelly and his team before did as well, and it’s going to be – I said the other day – a real blessing for this city. And I think that the work that the NYPD has done and other agencies have done to prepare for this has been exemplary. 
Beth. 

Question: I was wondering if you will allow charter schools to accept pre-k [inaudible] proposed by the Cuomo administration?

Mayor: We’re certainly going to look at that proposal. I haven’t seen the report that came out from the Commission. But we’re going to look at that and see how that might fit with our plan. 
Rafael.

Question: Mr. Commissioner, [inaudible]

Commissioner Bratton: This is his first chance at me in 20 years.

[Laughter]

Mayor: I’ll protect you.

[Laughter]

Commissioner Bratton: We actually got along pretty well. 

Question: You were in Los Angeles, you worked with the community there in dealing with the question that we are facing here in New York – the Latino and the African-American community with stop-and-frisk. What – how are you going to change that here?

Commissioner Bratton: Well I think it’s quite clear that there’s a lot that’s going to change. Certainly, the amount of it has changed dramatically. It is down dramatically. The mayor campaigned on this issue. And we are in the process of naming the new Inspector General, a resolution of the monitor issue, discussions around the impact of racial profiling legislation. So, in every instance, our intent is to do the best of our abilities, to ensure that we’re doing everything within the laws, as they exist or as they were created. It’s not very comfortable but that process is moving forward very well.

Question: Your plans to work with the different ethnic communities dealing with that issue?

Commissioner Bratton: That is certainly reflective of where the Mayor is coming from – a very open, transparent collaborative [inaudible] – everything that he or I has said supports that. And I think even more importantly, I can speak for myself, my actions – whether in New York previously, or more recently in Los Angeles – it has always been about the idea of working with and for the community.

Mayor: Thank you, everyone. Thank you.