Chez Fray’s family called for someone to help their son, were met with police, and saw him shot and killed. So much about this tragedy demands scrutiny—the police response, discrepancies in stories, detaining Chez’s father, the use of deadly force.  1/2

This holiday season, we hope you find joy. There's a lot of darkness in the world, but we can each try to be the light we hope to see in the world. ✨ Happy Holidays, New York City!

One year, 15 deaths. We pray there will be no more deaths in New York City custody this year, or among New Yorkers in medical care shortly after release from custody. The city has an obligation, a duty, for preservation of life that is not being met.

The story of Fei Zheng and his son, Yuanxin—one of around 150 children detained by ICE in New York City—is tragically emblematic: The cruel trauma of family separation, a lack of due process for asylum seekers and others, and inhumane conditions. Enough.

On National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, we grieve anyone whose life or health has been taken by homelessness. Mourn for the dead, fight like hell for the living. And choose empathy, in the words of housing justice activist Andrew Chappotin. 📽️: Stop the Sweeps Rally

Thanks to our team for a festive holiday party! From a highly anticipated cheesecake reveal (the "Black & White Cookie" flavor won the election) to a raucous game of office Family Feud, these moments fuel our work. We hope all New Yorkers find joy and togetherness this holiday season.

ICYMI: We passed two bills in the @council.nyc.gov last night. The first will help prevent street and subway flooding by improving catch basin maintenance. The second, part of a #StreetVendorReform package, establishes the Division of Street Vendor Assistance. More: advocate.nyc.gov/press/nyc-co...

On this stormy day, we're GRATE-ful @council.nyc.gov passed our bill to prevent flooding by improving catch basin cleaning. With regular reporting and a mandate for rapid clog removals, we can mitigate dangerous flooding risks across the five boroughs. 📽️ Watch: www.youtube.com/shorts/d3kpc...

INT 403-A, sponsored by @advocate.nyc.gov, requires @nycwater.bsky.social to report annually on inspection, cleanup, and maintenance of catch basins by community district. It also requires the agency to inspect basins and resolve clogs within 8 business days of inspection or a complaint.

INTs 431-B, 1251-A, and 408-A, sponsored by @cmpisanchez.bsky.social, CM Amanda Farías and @advocate.nyc.gov, expand licensing for street vendors, authorize agencies to issue licenses up to new capped amounts, and create a Division of Street Vendor Assistance to provide resources & annual reporting.

“Street vendors are New York City’s smallest businesses...yet they don’t have the support from the city they need to survive." #StreetVendorReform will change that; today @council.nyc.gov voted to pass our bill to create a Division of Street Vendor Assistance. More: advocate.nyc.gov/press/nyc-pu...

Our catch basin cleaning bill is GRATE! It will help to keep our streets safe and subways dry by improving catch basin cleaning. And @council.nyc.gov votes on it today. P.S. Learn about the Adopt-a-Catch Basin pilot, which we hope will grow: www.nyc.gov/site/dep/whats-new/adopt-a-catch-basin.page

“Across this city, clogged catch basins have led to mass flooding in the streets...Passing this bill will help clear the backlog of complaints and ensure things flow smoothly." Today, the @council.nyc.gov will vote on our bill to prevent flooding by improving catch basin cleaning. More:

International Migrants Day is a recognition of resilience, as well as the hardships that drive people from their homes in search of safety. For those who've made their way to New York City: Know your rights—no matter your status. In English: ⬇️

Horrifying and despicable. In an apparent antisemitic attack, a stranger stabbed a young Jewish New Yorker. He's said to be in stable condition, and we pray fervently for his full recovery. In Bondi Beach's wake, we stand stronger than ever against hate.

The Public Advocate has released a review today of the street vending industry, including how to support the city’s smallest businesses, while enacting rules that help "build a thriving, regulated street vending environment in our neighborhoods.” Read the new report:

We experienced a Christmas miracle for the Perez/Blanco family. This family, who are seeking asylum, were free to leave 26 Federal Plaza. We need New Yorkers to step up to help protect all families from this authoritarian regime's tactics. Families belong together. #HandsOffNYC

A rare bright spot in the darkness. We breathed a sigh of relief when the Perez/Blanco family left 26 Federal Plaza safely, together with their three children. New Yorkers, step up to support the countless families facing detention and family separation.

This is vile. Councilwoman Paladino's attitude must be rejected by our city government, and has no place outside a white supremacist rally. How can someone claim to represent New Yorkers when they show such hatred toward a million of them?

It's a blessing the Perez Blanco family was able to leave 26 Federal Plaza, free and intact as a family. We joined @uft.org members, faith leaders, and advocates to offer support to this family, who are seeking asylum. Today, thankfully, these parents were not separated from their three children.

Three in four immigration arrests in New York City have been of Latino men, per @thenyic.bsky.social, who overwhelmingly have no criminal record. This is the outcome of Trump's racist deportation machine, and SCOTUS putting its seal of approval on racial profiling.

📢 Conozca sus derechos ⬇️

We need to recognize authoritarianism when we see it. Family Separation—in this case, arbitrarily separating asylum seeker Allan Dabrio Marrero from his husband during a routine Green Card interview—is a cruel, glaring example. #FreeAllan from detention and reunite this family.

@advocate.nyc.gov reminds us that if it wasn’t for the video of the brutal beating of Robert’s Brooks we wouldn’t have seen first hand what corrections officers are doing to people incarcerated! He calls on @governor.ny.gov to sign the Omnibus bill into law immediately!

ICE is trying to push immigrants out of our city, and we're pushing back. The thing about New Yorkers: We know our rights, and our neighbors' rights. If you agree knowledge is power, help us amplify the message to #KnowYourRights. More: advocate.nyc.gov

When we fight, we win. We've been proud to stand with these East Harlem tenants, who organized against landlord Isaac Kassirer—once #72 on our #WorstLandlordsNYC Watchlist—and won. Tenants deserve safe, habitable living conditions—and accountability.

This #HumanRightsDay, we're reducing barriers for New Yorkers facing homelessness—instead of increasing barriers with destabilizing sweeps. As we commend the Mayor-elect's promise to #StopTheSweeps, we leave you with a message from housing justice activist Andrew Chappotin.

The @council.nyc.gov has an opportunity to protect immigrant New Yorkers—and the whole city—by passing four key bills and standing up for our laws and rights. Shoring up sanctuary policies will shield our communities from the fear and chaos being spread in the false name of “safety.”

We rallied in support of four @council.nyc.gov bills to protect New York City's sanctuary laws, and help New Yorkers #KnowYourRights. Just last week, an investigation revealed the city failed to uphold the law in coordinating with ICE—underscoring why we must strengthen sanctuary.

Under the Adams administration, 47 New Yorkers died in custody—and now, tragically, Aramis Furse. Rikers has been allowed to be a death sentence. Under a new administration, we have an opportunity to prioritize true safety, for those in custody and in our communities. #CloseRikers

Next up, @advocate.nyc.gov speaks about the beauty and pride of NYC’s immigrant community. The City must stand up and protect everyone.

After we rallied to Stop the Sweeps Thursday, Mayor-elect Mamdani announced his administration will end this harmful and ineffective practice. Despite thousands of sweeps, not one single New Yorker was placed in permanent housing. Sweeps do not solve homelessness; housing does.

Afrikana's Adama Bah and her family could rely on a community of New Yorkers when her aunt was unlawfully detained. But no family should have to go through this. Just like today, when Ms. Diallo was released, we will fight, and we will win. Trump's America will not be sustained.

Families belong together. We stood united today to ensure the release of the aunt of Afrikana's Adama Bah, Aissatou Diallo, a beloved community and family member. Thankfully, she was released this morning—as should all others who were unlawfully abducted and detained.

ICE is irreparably harming children by separating families. But even in ICE detention, parents and legal guardians should be able to make decisions about their children's care and custody. Learn about the rights parents have, from the Center for Law and Social Policy and @nilc.org:

"If this incident doesn’t rise to the level of potential conviction on any criminal charges, that in itself is an indictment of the standards for any accountability in a police shooting – that in itself is an injustice." Statement on the Win Rozario case:

Sweeps do not solve homelessness; instead, they destabilize and retraumatize New Yorkers who already face enormous barriers. Today, Deputy Public Advocate for Housing Equity Julissa Gonzalez joined advocates with lived experience to demand NYC stop the sweeps and adopt a housing-first approach.

ICE claims it "does not separate families" but anyone who's spent time inside 26 Federal Plaza knows that's a cruel lie. Now, six-year-old asylum seeker Yuanxin has been separated from his father, held at an undisclosed location. Release them both now.

Workers help our city run; that includes the baristas who fuel our days. Hear from our office's Deputy Public Advocate Kennedy, Mayor-elect @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social, and @sanders.senate.gov on what's at stake in the @sbworkersunited.org strike against unfair labor practices. #NoContractNoCoffee

The Public Advocate called for passage of his bill, Intro 407-A, to increase transparency in the co-op sales and management process. For too long, a complicated, nebulous, and opaque co-op process has left open the possibility for discrimination. More: advocate.nyc.gov/press/nyc-pu...

From Canal Street to Sunset Park, the message is the same: #HandsOffNYC. New Yorkers will always step up when ICE tries to kidnap and abuse the rights of our neighbors. Find resources for learning your rights and protecting yourself and your loved ones: advocate.nyc.gov/blog/resourc...

What do New Yorkers love even more than coffee? Solidarity. Deputy Public Advocate Elizabeth Kennedy was proud to join the @sbworkersunited.org picket line. Learn about the strike demands, take the pledge, or join a picket line near you: nocontractnocoffee.org #NoContractNoCoffee

When the headlines end, it doesn't mean the suffering has gone away. Our support for the Caribbean communities hit hard by Hurricane Melissa must be ongoing. One way for New Yorkers to pitch in and celebrate culture: the Jamaica Strong Benefit Concert. 🇯🇲 More: go.ubsarena.com/3WN2nsW

Unfair labor practices will cost you in New York City. This agreement with @hellodcwp.bsky.social is a win—for the 15,000 New Yorkers wronged by Starbucks, and for this union town as a whole. Note: @sbworkersunited.org is still asking folks not to cross the picket line.

Funding cuts kill. We stand by the advocates who are fighting back against federal spending cuts to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and research. The 2025 theme of #WorldAIDSDay, "Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response" is a call to resist—in order to save lives.

New Yorkers—and New York City government—can uplift Black businesses on Black Friday, and the many Minority and Women-Owned Businesses in NYC. This week, the Public Advocate stressed how we as New Yorkers, and as a City, can support diverse M/WBEs.

"This weekend, between Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, New Yorkers will spend a lot of money—let’s work to spend it in our communities, seeking out and supporting M/WBEs as we decide, with our dollars, the kind of economy we want to build." More: www.advocate.nyc.gov/reports/dive...

Never forget that we are on native land. In a time when diversity is villainized and assimilation is touted, honoring the richness of our past and present is vital. We wish all New Yorkers a meaningful Native American Heritage Day in Lenapehoking.

Sarah Beckstrom, just 20 years old, has passed away after this violent attack. We pray for the survival of her fellow Guardsman, Andrew Wolfe. Such a tragic act can never be cynically weaponized with xenophobic rhetoric and policies, which compound harm and deepen hate.

"Happy Thanksgiving to New York City, the homeland of the Lenape people. I hope it is a day of bounty and blessings for all, with hearts and tables full, as we spend time with those dearest to us." Read the Public Advocate's Thanksgiving statement: advocate.nyc.gov/press/nyc-pu...