We, the undersigned, support divesting from the Jersey City Police Department. We demand a 50% cut in the JCPD budget for this upcoming fiscal year. This cut must be made permanent by implementing the longer term recommendations below: We demand a reallocation of the budget to support Jersey City residents experiencing or facing houselessness due to the pandemic and public health interventions for COVID-19 including support for folks who need to quarantine and expanded, free testing. Further, these reallocated funds should go toward Jersey City communities most impacted by the city’s legacy of over-policing and discriminatory tax and zoning laws, by funding public schools, affordable housing and eviction prevention, anti-violence interventions, employment programs, community-based organizations providing social and mental healthcare instead of hiring JCPD social workers, and local restorative justice programs.

Demands:

> Cut the police budget by 50% and redirect those funds to services that actually create safety and security for our communities and intervene in the root causes of harm in Jersey City

> Remove police from Jersey City Public Schools

> Freeze all police department hires for at least 5 years

> Fire and take away the pensions of police officers who brutalize our community

> Establish a civilian review board that has subpoena power to investigate and prosecute police misconduct

Facts:

> JCPD takes up 43% of Jersey City salaries [1][7].

> JCPD’s salary + wages + other expenses allocation in 2019 = $107 million [2]. With pensions and benefits, that number rises to $149 million [1]. For every dollar spent on the police, including pensions and benefits, the city spends only 5 cents on housing, economic development and commerce; 3 cents on health and human services; and 3 cents on recreation (which includes youth programs).

> Just last year, the Jersey City Police Department spent their $6,500,000 overtime budget for a 12-month period in less than 7 months [3]. In 2019, the JCPD ultimately spent $11,173,523.43 on overtime alone, exceeding their budget by nearly $5,000,000

> In the wake of a $70 million deficit due to COVID-19, Jersey City is laying off valuable city employees in every department except the JCPD [4].

> Police disproportionately target Black and brown communities with legally sanctioned violence, and Jersey City is no exception. Between 2012 and 2016, a Black person in Jersey City was 489% more likely to have force used on them than a white person [5].

> Mayor Fulop has hired a total of 620 police officers, growing the active police force from 769 officers in 2013 to 950 officers today (23.5% increase). [6].

More than cutting overtime and fringe expenses, defunding the police means treating south side Jersey City residents in a manner similar to downtown residents and cease treating us as potential criminals. Police are ill-equipped to address unmet mental health or economic needs, houseless outreach, and youth engagement, for example, and can only respond to crime—they do not address the root causes of crime.

Co-sponsors:

Black Men United

Jersey City Anti-Violence Coalition

Got Love Foundation

Progressive Democrats of NJ

DSA of Northern NJ

Gabriela NJ

Hudson County Progressive Alliance

ICE Free NJ

Mutual Aid Tenant Collective of Hudson County (MATCH)

[1] https://jerseycitynj.gov/UserFiles/Servers/Server_6189660/File/City%20Hall/Finance/Budgets/CY%202019%20-%20UFB.pdf

[2] https://civicparent.org/jersey-citys-2019-20-municipal-budget-jerseycitybudget-org/

[3] https://hudsoncountyview.com/jersey-city-council-members-concerned-that-police-department-has-overspent-400k-on-ot-in-2019/

[4] https://hudsoncountyview.com/layoffs-are-on-the-table-as-jersey-city-begins-budget-review-still-expecting-70m-shortfall/

[5] http://force.nj.com/database/pd-dept/jersey-city-hudson

[6] https://jerseycitynj.gov/news/newclassofpoliceofficerstojoinjcpd

[7] https://hudsoncountyview.com/solomon-spending-109-9m-on-jersey-city-police-salaries-is-unacceptable-fulop-poba-respond/