CB 6 gets heated during 2020 bail reform talk
BY RACHEL SHERMAN
FREELANCER
Starting January 1, cash
bail will be eliminated for
misdemeanor and non-violent
felony offenses in New York
state.
According to Sgt. Franklin
Bonilla of the 48th Precinct,
the 2020 bail reform means,
“You might be able to break
into somebody’s house and
you’ll be out of the precinct
(house) within a few hours.”
Bonilla said that the legislation
was signed into law by
Governor Cuomo to reduce
the prison population, but that
it makes the job for police offi
cers more complicated. “If
you see me arrest someone
and then see them out on the
streets, don’t get mad at me,”
Bonilla, the evening’s speaker,
said Wednesday at a Community
Board 6 meeting. “(When)
the law changes and I have to
let them go.”
Residents that attended
the public meeting, held on
the third-fl oor room at the
Belmont Library, a cramped
space with the heat blasting,
did not receive the news of the
bail reform well. As many
sweated through their clothes,
they became agitated at the
thought of criminals being released
back into the neighborhood
the same day of their arrest.
Tensions escalated as members
of the board demanded to
know who was responsible for
the reform.
“So, it’s our state assemblymen
who are screwing our entire
state?” said Frank Franz,
a board member and lifelong
Belmont resident. “I think we
should know what our elected
offi cials are doing in our
name.”
The room erupted into panicked
commotion as Bronx
residents shared their safety
concerns with one another.
Bonilla added that with the
ringing in of the New Year, a
defendant must be allowed
the opportunity to revisit the
crime scene before a case can
be made.
Every speaker who represented
an elected offi cial was
questioned, including Nicholas
Peter, representing Assemblyman
Victor Pichardo, and
Israel Sanchez representing
Councilman Ritchie Torres.
Sanchez gave an update
without political comment
Community Board 6 members listen to Sgt. Franklin Bonilla speal on the anticipated effects of the 2020 bail reform
law. Photo by Rachel Sherman
and said that thanks to Councilman
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Torres’ work with the
Offi ce of Emergency Management,
it is now mandatory for
the agency to respond within
six hours to complaints of
homes without heat.
John Sanchez, CB 6 district
manager, announced that
the board will host a new series
of Bronx organizing and
civic engagement workshops.
The fi rst, ‘Learn What Your
Elected Offi cials Do,’ was held
Saturday, November 16. The
second session, ‘Voting, the
Census and Organizing to be
Heard,’ will take place on Saturday,
November 23. All workshops
will be held at 1932 Arthur
Avenue, Room 403-A.
Wilfredo Mercado, representing
community affairs at
the Bronx district attorney’s
offi ce, announced that District
Attorney Darcel Clark
has been elected for a second
term. “She will continue the
work that she has already laid
the foundation for,” he said.
One attendee asked how the
district attorney responded to
the new bail reform. Mercado
asked that all questions be directed
to the DA’s policy department.
Evonne Capers, board
chairperson for CB 6, twirled
her fi nger in the air, pointing
to the entire room, and said,
“I suggest you call. Use your
voice.”