Criminal justice advocates and electeds rallied behind the Fair Access to Victim Compensation Act (FAVC) with a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul and a gathering in Foley Square.
Councilmembers Tiffany Cabán and Mercedes Narcisse and Councilmember-elect Yusef Salaam joined Common Justice, a decarceration group, at the rally. The letter was delivered to Hochul about six months after the bill passed with wide bipartisan support in the state Assembly and Senate, said Common Justice.
“This pivotal piece of legislation will help transform the landscape of support for crime victims and survivors, ensuring that those who have faced adversity are not further burdened by systemic barriers,” said Narcisse in a statement. “This is about creating a New York where every individual’s journey towards healing and recovery is honored and supported. It’s time to turn our promises into action and our compassion into policy.”
The deadline for Hochul to sign FAVC, A2105A/S214, is at the end of the year, and survivors are urging her to pass the legislation.
The current victim compensation system provides state funding for crime victims to reimburse them for costs of recovery and lost wages. However, advocates said that it neglects survivors of violence, who are usually Black and brown, LGBTQIA+, immigrant, and domestic violence victims. They face obstacles like short application windows, mandatory police reporting, and cooperation requirements that hinder access to compensation for marginalized communities.
“While this bill would be a major victory for survivors, we want to be clear: This bill keeps us all safe,” said Executive Director of Common Justice Danielle Sered in a statement. “The Fair Access to Victim Compensation Act promotes public safety by addressing violence at the root. Currently, New York state is experiencing a decline in violent crime and this bill would stand to bring these numbers down even further.”
This barrier is especially strong for Black victims, said advocates.
Salaam, a member of the Exonerated Five who were wrongly accused and convicted of raping a woman in Central Park in 1989, spoke to the distrust felt by the Black community toward law enforcement, and why passing this legislation will be crucial for these survivors to get the financial help they need.
“The current bill as it stands retraumatizes survivors because of the racism and bias that’s embedded in it,” said Oresa Napper-Williams, founder and executive director of Not Another Child Inc. She lost her son to gun violence in 2006. Her organization has taken members to Albany to advocate for the passing of the bill for years.
Cabán said that forcing people who have legit reasons to avoid police to interact with them is “clearly cruel,” especially given that the likeliest to become victims of violence are low-income Black boys and men under 35.
“At Safe Horizon, we work with tens of thousands of survivors who seek police assistance in the aftermath of a crime, and tens of thousands who choose other ways to find safety and healing,” said Safe Horizon Vice President of Government Affairs Michael Polenberg. “Both cohorts of survivors deserve the same opportunity to seek reimbursement for expenses incurred as the result of a crime. We are grateful to the many survivors and advocates who have repeatedly called for expanded paths to crime victim reimbursement, and again call on Gov. Hochul to sign this bill without further delay.”
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member who writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
State Farm or any other apartment insuarance, as well as reimbursement from Victim’s Compensation Organizations all require contact with NYPD for a report. I jeopardize my life and my freedom anytime I have to let NYPD into my private dwelling. Someone is entering my apartment illegally between the Super, the Scattered Site agency or someone with a master key. I’ve complained to all of the appropriate parties. The security camera facing my unit allegedly doesn’t work. Otherwise I’m given another excuse why the footage can’t be made accessible to me. I called 911 and the 47th PCT, 10/31/23. Two uniformed cops, Officer Reyes and partner come in, give me a look like I’m a burden to them, refuse to write a report or complaint and tell me I need to buy cameras for inside my apartment. With no report my apartment insurance covers nothing. I get tired of living in this country as a Black person. I pay taxes for people that terrorize me while refusing to do their job.