Thank you for your interest in what we are doing to make our programs and services more accessible. Any comments listed below were provided during the public comment period prior to the publication of the initial final Five-Year Accessibility Plan. Each year we will be posting a Progress Report, so check back.
5 Responses
The NYPD continues to openly discriminate against people with disabilities by allowing illegal parking at virtually all of its station houses and other locations throughout our city, impeding access to curb ramps and often making sidewalks partially or fully inaccessible. There are even designated ADA hub precincts like the 30 that aren’t even close to accessible because the sidewalks are fully inaccessible due to their illegal parking. This illegal, discriminatory conduct has continued despite years of detailed complaints, new NYC legislation (reasserting that sidewalk parking is illegal for government employees and mandating placard corruption enforcement), and even after the US Attorney put the NYPD on notice. So submitting this false “plan,” pretending that the NYPD isn’t currently discriminating and planning to continue doing so, is nothing other than a blatant lie. Whoever filed this false document should be fired and prosecuted. Enough already!
The NYPD makes life more difficult for people with (and without) disabilities by parking (and allowing friends and family to park) on the sidewalk, at bus stops and in cross walks. Stop abusing your power and privilege at the expense of the other people who live/work in our city. It’s obvious that your organization is corrupt and abusive. If you want to win the hearts and minds (and you SHOULD want to) you have to stop bullying the communities that you pretend to care about.
The NYPD’s persistent allowance of illegal parking by its own employees at its facilities, often blocking access for people with disabilities, is unacceptable. Despite legislation, complaints, and even warnings from the US Attorney, the issue persists. Filing a plan that ignores this ongoing discrimination is disingenuous and demands accountability. Until parking corruption is addressed – this whole plan is just a false flag.
The NYPD flatly disrespects the rights of disabled New Yorkers by allowing vehicles to obstruct sidewalks, crosswalks, daylighted intersections, etc. and to double-park wantonly, as a “courtesy.” This isn’t limited to just official NYPD vehicles and emergency situations; it’s NYPD/FDNY/other city worker personal vehicles, and even just local businesses and the general public’s vehicles. It is seen as worse to inconvenience drivers than it is to obstruct disabled folks.
If NYPD expects to be trusted with enforcement powers, they should use them to make streets safer for the disabled and for everyone else.
Disabled In Action of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (“DIA”) submits these comments, in the annexed letter, in response to the New York City Police Department’s (“NYPD”) request for comments concerning its Proposed Five-Year Accessibility Plan (“Plan”), posted online on or about December 29, 2023.
2-16-2024 Final DIA Comments to NYC Police Department Proposed 5 Year Accessibility Plan