Our time with Bowles was an incredible privilege because I was able to be a part of a moving conversation regarding the city we often take for granted. I have been following CUF for a while, and to see one of its leaders discuss the inner workings of how policy is made – from how the City Council operates to the developments such as the CUNY SPARC campus advancing innovation while displacing students and local community members. I enjoyed his perspective on the bureaucratic checks and balances, stating how bureaucracy prevents policies from being passed as quickly as they should, noting how vetoes from the mayor and vetoes on that veto from the City Council on banning solitary confinement create many political conflicts that involve a battle of morales. The overall conversation was nothing less than insightful and gave me some hope that organizations like CUF are dedicated to reporting and advancing key policies geared to make our great city even greater.

As a “Commissioner of NYC’s Future,” I hope to conceptualize tangible solutions to our city’s policy issues surrounding policing. My research background concentrates on America’s carceral state and the criminal justice system designed to marginalize and exploit predominantly Black and Brown people. With the national recidivism rate being more than 40%, I am very interested in policies grounded in restorative justice approaches rather than punitive punishments that only serve to debilitate and further marginalize people of color. I have always wanted to create programs focusing on building more resilient communities, centering on intersectional approaches towards criminal justice and making a New York where policing serves to maintain order rather than disrupt it.