NYC Dem lawmakers claim NYPD e-bike crackdown is racist and could lead to deportations

New York City progressive politicians are outraged by the police department's crackdown on e-bikes, arguing that the new enforcement measures are "racist" because they could result in the loss of licenses or deportation for illegal immigrant delivery drivers or minority groups. This, after the NYPD began issuing criminal court summons last month for e-bike riders who violate standard traffic laws, such as running red lights or riding on sidewalks, the New York Post reported.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch defended the crackdown during a Thursday council budget hearing, saying, "This is not a war on e-bikes, this is a response to very real concerns that are widely held across virtually every borough, every New Yorker in this city." Additionally, she explained that the enforcement measures were enacted as a response to safety concerns from New Yorkers.

Tiffany Caban, a progressive council member, lambasted the commissioner and her colleagues, arguing that police officers are likely not being objective when deciding to target certain hotspots in the Big Apple. "It does not increase public trust in how this is being enforced if you cannot even articulate for me how officers are using this discretion," Caban said, claiming that the fines are likely being weaponized against people of color and could lead to deportations due to the requirement of having to appear in court.

"A person who is more likely to be a person of color may end up in deportation proceedings," she said, adding, "It's just not right."
 

According to the Post, roughly 65,000 delivery drivers who are often referred to as "Deliveristas" rely on high-powered transportation that is easy to maneuver around the city's five boroughs. While the leftwing councilors claimed that the law could lead to deportations, it's unclear how many illegal immigrants act as delivery drivers.

Tisch told the council that increasing enforcement to criminal summons' was necessary because the previously enacted civil summons' were ineffective. "I called on the council to change the laws," said Tisch, adding that the criminal enforcement measures have been working.

During the hearing, Democrat council member Lincoln Restler, whose Brooklyn district has had documented issues of speeding e-bikes that have injured community members, including young children, shared the same sentiment as his progressive colleague despite the unlawful activity occurring in the district he represents.

"I'm concerned about more people getting swept up in our criminal justice system who don't need it," said Restler, adding, "We have a Trump administration that's trying to sweep everyone up into their deportation machine that they can."

It's unclear how many criminal summons' NYPD officers have issued since the new laws' inception.