The mayor has blamed the budget cuts on federal COVID aid ending, and the cost of the migrant crisis in the city.

Seeing this is being reported uncritically on a few other websites and on TV news as well.

The language surrounding the migrant situation is becoming more and more dangerous. It was only a month or two ago that Top Cop Adams said that the migrant "crisis" would destroy the city. Now we have the media running around putting the blame for budget cuts on migrants.

Here's a NYT article that goes into more detail on the recent budget cuts: https://web.archive.org/web/20231116210120/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/16/nyregion/nyc-budget-cuts-schools-police-trash.html

  • thethirdgracchi [he/him, they/them]
    ·
    11 months ago

    The entire budget of the public library system is equivalent to the NYPD's funding to encrypt their radios so citizens can't hear police scanners anymore. This is an intentional "budget cut" to make people feel pain.

    • SacredExcrement [any, comrade/them]
      ·
      edit-2
      11 months ago

      Oh that's bad lmao

      Annual library budget for New York: 430-470 million

      Cost to 'upgrade' police radios: reportedly 390 to 500 million

      • InevitableSwing [none/use name]
        ·
        edit-2
        11 months ago

        There are Wall Street guys who make $36 million a year all by themselves. The city is swimming in money. It must be one of the richest cities in all of human history. I knew the yearly spending for libraries was going to be small but holy mother of fuck that's obscenely tiny.

        Cost to 'upgrade' police radios: reportedly 390 to 500 million

        That doesn't surprise me. I assume any number the police say is "necessary" is inflated by about at least five times.

        Via Google

        NYPD's current Fiscal 2023 budget is $5.83 billion

      • emizeko [they/them]
        ·
        11 months ago

        hmm I'm not sure that's right

        NYC Libraries' current proposed Fiscal 2023 budget in the Executive Plan is $471.5 million

        https://council.nyc.gov/budget/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2023/05/Libraries.pdf

        • SacredExcrement [any, comrade/them]
          ·
          edit-2
          11 months ago

          Ah, you're right

          Source I looked at was citing "city funding" as the 36 mill I used (not sure where they got that now tbh)

          Total budget is indeed north of 400 mill, edited

          What's even sadder is the additional text I found when I went further digging

          The Libraries' projected Fiscal 2024 budget of $431.0 million represents less than one percent of the City's proposed Fiscal 2024 budget in the Executive Plan.

          But yeah no, libraries are killing the budget

          Fuckin pig mayor