Mayoral candidate Maya Wiley took shots at police unions and the President of the Police Benevolent Association Patrick J. Lynch during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, stating “there is a new sheriff in town.”
Wiley held a press conference in Washington Square Park to affirm that New York City has the money, people, and know-how to handle critical issues at hand such as homelessness. However, she claims the city is lacking adequate leadership. Announcing policies on affordable housing, homelessness, and other initiatives to help rebuild New York City, the mayoral hopeful was joined by advocates Maya Rupert, Shams DaBaron, and others who both spoke on behalf of Wiley’s character and why they believe she is the ideal candidate.
“As we look at the essential workers who showed up COVID or no COVID, whether it was to stock grocery store shelves or to take care of people in their homes who could not take care of themselves, those people even as they work are standing in food pantry lines because they had to choose between the rent or to feed themselves and their families. That is not who we are and that is not who we chose on June 22,” Wiley said.
Wiley told onlookers that she is aware that many of her constituents are jaded by the broken promises of past and present politicians, but she assures voters that as a black mother, civil rights attorney, and progressive, that she will fight to protect law-abiding citizens.
“Guess who is homeless? Literally, women of color with kids as well as people of color who are struggling with mental health issues including substance addiction. It is the communities that get ignored in every single crisis and its recovery and to be a Civil Rights Lawyer and to be a mom is to say we are not letting any families go down like that. We will not accept it because that is not our path,” Wiley said.
In addition to announcing her policies, she also addressed the news that a police union leader called her standpoint on the NYPD “divisive,” and warns police unions, officers and Patrick J. Lynch, the President of the Police Benevolent Association, that no one is above the law and there is a new sheriff in town.
“They have called me divisive because I have insisted that every single person in this city has to abide by the law. Every single one. There is simply no such thing as a public servant that gets to say, ‘Yeah, those laws don’t apply to me.’ The other thing about divisiveness is that I have never called anyone an animal, but the Police Benevolent Association’s Pat Lynch has,” Wiley said, adding, “And you know what I say to the police unions, the police department, the police officers of the police department are people too. Whomever you are in this city, if you think we are animals, if you think you are above the law then there is going to be a new sheriff in town after June 22 that is going to say that every person in this city matters.”
As Wiley fights for a foothold in the polls, this spat with Lynch further solidifies her candidacy as one which is pushing back against traditional law and order.
amNewYork Metro has reached out to Patrick Lynch for comment.
