Name of Council Member: Letitia James Name and Title of Person Completing Questionnaire:

2013 CITY COUNCIL HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Many in the United States think of international affairs when they think of human rights. Our work emphasizes the applicability of the human rights framework here in the United States. Please share your thoughts on the domestic applicability of human rights, and discuss why human rights are important to you in the context of New York City and the City Council. Human rights on a domestic level applies to the right to public institutions like hospitals, quality schools, and most obviously accessible and affordable housing those are rights that are and have been threatened by private interests here in New York City. Im not against privatized options, but I dont think they we should give away out public land and facilities when it is within our power to improve and sustain them. We know that the same neighborhoods that send high numbers of families into the homeless shelter system, for example, have the highest density of vacant property. In 2011, Picture the Homeless counted 3,551 vacant buildings, and 2,489 vacant lots throughout New York City. The organization estimates that 199,981 people could be potentially housed in that vacant space. I have supported the development of affordable and supportive housing in the 35th Districtsuch as Common Grounds Schermerhorn residence and Dunn Developments Navy Green and Putnam Court. I believe that the City should invest in Habitat for Humanity-style sweat-equity housing development where people can receive training to renovate and purchase properties through their labor as a way to create real affordable housing. I have spoken out against the number of Crisis Pregnancy Centers throughout New York City that provide misleading and biased information regarding reproductive matters, as well as the NYPDs stop and frisk polices which unfairly target Black and Latino men throughout New York City, and am supportive of the Councils legislation addressing the issue. When I served as the Assistant NYS Attorney General overseeing the Brooklyn Regional Office and one of the attorneys working in the AGs Civil Rights Bureau I work on a report which concluded that at the time African American New Yorkers constituted 50% of NYPD stops, Latinos constituted 33% of stops, and White residents constituted 13% of stops. 2. Please share how you used your tenure in Council to advance human rights. I introduced the Safe Housing Act, which became City law in 2007. This ground-breaking bill ensured that thousands of families in rental buildings receive prompt and full repairs to their apartments, and represented a $50 million investment in housing code reform. Ive pushed for increased M/WBE opportunities (http://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=1344641&GUID=B3FCF989-75AF-45A7-81CAE06D3109158D&Options=ID%7CText%7C&Search=M%2fWBE).

Recently, Ive introduced legislation into the City Council that would require the City to report on the ammunition shells sold to ammunition stores in states with lax gun control laws. Considering that New York has some of the strictest gun control laws on the books, it seems logical that the administration would seek to prohibit the sale and shipment of City-owned weapons-materials to non-law enforcement agencies. The Citys sale of shell casings prior to 2012 were to scrap-metal companies, not ammunition stores. However, the scrap-metal companies tended to bid less for the casings. I believe that that such a move is vital in ensuring that New York not profit from the culture of gun-ownership across this nation, which is contradictory to the laws we maintain in this State. 3. Please list your top 3 legislative priorities for 2013. 1. Reduction of certain plastics in waste-stream (for example, creating a deposit and refund system for plastics such as that in carryout bags; general limit of Styrofoam usage). 2. Int 955-2012 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to reporting on the disposal of ammunition shell casings. 3. Int 1133-2012 A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to the notification of elected officials of information related to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in schools 4. Please list your top three budget priorities of 2013. 1. Senior funding (senior centers) 2. Youth (youth cultural programs, after-school programs) 3. Parks (parks restoration) 5. Have you used participatory budgeting to allocate your discretionary funds? Why or why not? I have not utilized participatory budgeting in the past, as the process requires an allocation in the former fiscal year. I think participatory budgeting is a fair process, and would be interested in utilizing it in the future. 6. Please list recent legislation in Council that you believe promotes human rights. Int 1024-2013- (CM Dromm) Requiring the commissioner of the department of correction to post a monthly report on its website regarding punitive segregation, including solitary confinement, statistics for city jails. Int 955-2012- (CM James) Requiring reporting on the disposal of ammunition shell casings Int 1080-2013- (CM Williams) In relation to prohibiting bias-based profiling Int 800-2012- (CM Wiliams) In relation to prohibiting bias-based profiling 7. Legislation is only one of many ways in which Council Members can work to advance human rights. What ways other than through legislation have you advanced the human rights of New Yorkers as a City Council Member? I have spoken publicly on human rights issues that I believe to be relevant to New Yorkers today.

Ive been outspoken against the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/letitiajames/voting-rights-act-supreme-court_b_2775141.html), as well as fighting for low-wage, service workers (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/letitia-james/low-wage-worker-strike-ny_b_2338614.html). Ive joined advocates throughout the City in 2013 demanding fair wages and benefits for service workers. Ive spoken on the need to maintain our public institutions (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/letitia-james/shrinking-thelibrary-sys_b_3430298.html and http://teamtish.blogspot.com/2013/07/cm-james-on-need-to-preserve-nycpublic.html), and joined the fight to save Long Island College Hospital and Interfaith Medical Center (recently joined PA de Blasio in lawsuit to halt the closure of Central Brooklyns Interfaith). 8. Some advocates contend that the position of the Council Speaker has too much power over the progression of legislation. Please use this space to respond to that critique. I would say that the Council would benefit from a more inclusive process for the progression of bills. For more information, please visit www.urbanjustice.org.