Episode 157: Public Safety Requires Community Part II

This episode is Part II in our series Public Safety Requires Community. L. Joy continues this discussion, thinking through public safety and how we grapple with gun violence. What responsibility does the office of District Attorney have regarding public safety and curbing gun violence before crime happens? L. Joy brings back Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez to the front of the class to have this conversation.

Our Guest:

Eric Gonzalez made history in November 2017 when he became the first Latino District Attorney elected in New York State. He had been appointed Acting District Attorney by Governor Andrew Cuomo a year earlier following the tragic death of his predecessor, the late Ken Thompson, for whom Gonzalez had served as Chief Assistant District Attorney.

Following his swearing in as District Attorney in January, Gonzalez launched a ground-breaking initiative known as Justice 2020, to help him carry out his vision of keeping Brooklyn safe and strengthening trust in our justice system by ensuring fairness and equal justice for all. Justice 2020 consists of a 17-point action plan – created by a committee of criminal justice reform experts, defense groups, service providers, law enforcement, formerly incarcerated individuals, clergy and community leaders – to make the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office a national model of what a progressive prosecutor’s office can be. This blueprint will transform the work of Gonzalez’s office by shifting toward preventative and accountability solutions with a track record of success, and away from over-reliance on criminal convictions and incarceration.

DA Gonzalez grew up in East New York and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and attended John Dewey High School in Coney Island. He graduated from Cornell University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a dual major in government and history. In 1995, he received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was president of the Latino Law Students Association.

DA Gonzalez came to the front of the #SundayCivics class before for our “Who We Elect: District Attorney episode https://www.sundaycivics.org/episodes/episode73.

Homework:

• Research: Who is your local District Attorney? 

• What is your District Attorney/DA’s office point of view on public safety and gun violence? Does their value/mission align with yours?

• What groups/organizations does your District Attorney/DA’s office partner with, if at all.