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Moya unveils bill designed to weed out bad cops
BY JENNA BAGCAL
A Queens lawmaker recently
introduced a bill requiring
all New York state
public schools to teach students
the historical and civic
impact of Asian Americans.
Under legislation S.6359
sponsored by Senators John
Liu, Toby Ann Stavisky, Jeremy
Cooney, Andrew Gounardes,
Brian Kavanaugh and
Kevin Thomas, the instruction
on Asian American impact
would be required at the
elementary and high school
levels following the rise in
anti-Asian hate crimes across
the state and the nation.
The curriculum would
come directly from the Board
of Regents and State Commissioner
of Education, which
would create a new course
of study highlighting Asian
American contributions,
struggles and accomplishments
throughout history.
“Asian Americans have
long been caught between
the pernicious perpetual
foreigner syndrome and the
seemingly benign but truly
destructive model minority
myth,” Senator Liu said.
“That my preceding sentence
requires a long explanation
to most people clearly illustrates
the omission of Asian
American presence in the
teaching of American history
and related topics in
our public schools. Amid
the onslaught of anti-Asian
hate, assault and killings,
this legislation is necessary
to remove the cloak of invisibility
that Asian Americans
have long endured in order
to truly achieve equal opportunity,
equal treatment and
equal protection. Only then
can Asian Americans experience
safety and security in
the long run.”
According to reports, New
York state and the United
TIMESLEDGER | Q 14 NS.COM | MAY 7-MAY 13, 2021
States at large do not have official
curricula centered on
the history of Asian American
and Pacific Islander
(AAPI) communities. Much
of the textbooks erase the impact
Asian Americans have
had on the state and country
and the discrimination
they have faced in the United
States. The lack of understanding
led to increased violence
and hate crimes against
Asian Americans, which
grew exponentially during
COVID-19.
“The story of the importance
Asian Americans as
part of American history has
been ignored for too long.
The significant impact of
the Asian American community
should be taught in our
schools. It is time we create
a more well-rounded and inclusive
curriculum that better
represents everyone who
helped build this country and
move our society forward. I
speak from the perspective
of a former high school social
studies teacher,” Stavisky
said.
The new legislation would
ensure that Asian American
contributions are taught in
the state’s schools, fostering
respect and understanding
for these communities and
allowing the communities to
see themselves reflected as
important parts in the fabric
of American history.
Assembly members Rob
Kim and Yuh-Line Niou will
introduce the same bill in the
Assembly this week.
“Asian Americans are
as much a part of the fabric
of our country as any other
community in America,” Kim
said. “This legislation will
ensure that students in New
York understand the history,
contributions and sacrifices
of our community and help
them understand our essential
place in this country. I
look forward to working with
Senator Liu to pass this bill
in our respective chambers.”
BY BILL PARRY
New legislation that would
keep rogue cops from joining
the NYPD was unveiled by
Queens Councilman Francisco
Moya over the weekend.
Moya joined Council Speaker
Corey Johnson to announce
their new bill that would increase
police accountability and
reimagine public safety. It would
ban the city from hiring police
officers from other jurisdictions
who were fired for misconduct
or who resigned while being investigated
for misconduct.
The bill requires the Department
of Citywide Administrative
Services, which sets
qualifications for civil service
jobs, to add a line in the hiring
code that automatically disqualifies
these police officers
when they apply for the NYPD.
There are already several disqualifications
from becoming
an NYPD officer, including domestic
violence misdemeanors,
dishonorable discharges from
the military and felony convictions.
While transfers to the NYPD
are not common, the goal of this
legislation is to make sure that
no one with a history of misconduct
finds their way into the
city’s police force.
“Every step we can take towards
dismantling systemic
racism is an action towards
meaningful police reform. The
bill I’m introducing is a step to
keep the bad apples from multiplying
— if an officer is let go
because of disciplinary issues,
regardless of jurisdiction, they
will be ineligible for NYPD service,”
Moya said. “This is about
protecting Black and brown
lives from police officers who
have a history of misconduct.
With this bill, New York City
can be an example of vigorous
and positive action so Black
lives are no longer in danger.”
Officers who are fired from
one department only to get
hired by another, known as
wandering officers, are more
likely to receive misconduct
complaints and get fired again
compared to other officers, according
to a 2020 report in the
Yale Law Journal.
“All it takes is one bad cop
to make a fatal mistake, shatter
a family and destroy the trust
people have in all police,” Johnson
said. “Sadly, we’ve seen too
many police misconduct cases
across the country, and many
times these so-called wandering
officers land in other departments.
We don’t want them
in the NYPD, and we must do
everything we can to prevent
them from working as officers
in our city.”
Harlem state Senator Brian
Benjamin will introduce a companion
bill in Albany after he
was inspired by the shooting of
Daunte Wright in Minnesota.
Kim Potter, the 26-year veteran
who resigned after allegedly
shooting Wright, would be ineligible
to work as a member
of law enforcement across New
York under the legislation.
Read more on
PoliticsNY.com.
Councilman Francisco Moya announces new legislation at the
National Action Network that would prevent “bad cops” from
joining the NYPD. Courtesy of Gerardo Romo/NYC Council
State Senator John Liu Courtesy of Senator Liu’s offi ce
Liu introduces bill requiring state public
schools to teach Asian American history
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