Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been subjected to a tough grilling from CEOs and business leaders venting their fury over his new policies downgrading many felony charges.
Bragg on Friday joined a private Zoom meeting with members of the Partnership for New York City, as he continues his public relations junket in a bid to soothe concerns over his policies.
It came just hours before two NYPD cops in were shot in Harlem, at least one fatally, leading to a top police union boss to point the finger at Bragg for endangering officers with his controversial policies.
During the meeting, many of the city's top CEOs warned Bragg that violent crime was approaching epidemic levels in the city, and that their workers don't feel safe coming to the offices, according to Fox Business.
Deloitte USA CEO Joe Ucuzoglu was reportedly especially vocal, following the horror death of Deloitte employee Michelle Go at the hands of a deranged subway pusher last weekend.
Several of the business leaders expressed concern about Bragg's new policies, which aim to eliminate prison sentences for all but the most serious crimes, downgrade felony charges in certain cases of armed robbery and burglary, and drop charges for many low-level offenses.
'If I get hit in the head with a baseball bat, will you prosecute?' one business leader reportedly asked.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been subjected to a tough grilling from CEOs and business leaders venting their fury over his new policies
Police officers lock down the scene after two NYPD officers were shot in Harlem on January 21, 2022 in New York City. One officer was killed and the other remains in critical condition
One retailer reportedly told Bragg that crime is so bad in Manhattan that he's installing the same type of security he uses in anarchic Caracas, Venezuela.
Bragg tried to soothe tensions by insisting that public safety was his top priority, but stood by his controversial policies.
The tense meeting comes as New York grapples with soaring violent crime. In 2021, the NYPD recorded 1,562 incidents of gun violence, a 101 percent increase from 2019.
The city recorded 486 murders for the year, a 53 percent increase from 2019.
Bragg's meeting with business leaders comes after he drafted a crisis PR team and embarked on a mission to repair his reputation, which is battered after only a few weeks in office.
The progressive DA faced another public relations disaster when Patrick Lynch, the president of the Police Benevolent Association, blamed his policies for the shooting of two NYPD cops in upper Manhattan. At least one officer died from his injures.
Crime scene units are seen on a closed portion of 135th Street, as members of the New York City Police Department investigate the scene where one officer was shot and killed, and another critically injured while responding to a domestic violence call in Harlem
On Thursday, Bragg apologized for 'confusion' over his new policies downgrading many felony charges, but did not back down from his stance despite weeks of criticism.
In remarks on Thursday at an NYU School of Law virtual conference, Bragg blamed poor 'messaging' and communication for the backlash over his stance downgrading many charges and declining to seek prison terms for all but the most serious crimes.
'I take full accountability for that confusion caused by the memo,' he said of his January 3 policy memo, which drew harsh criticism from NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell, among others.
'[It] left many New Yorkers justifiably concerned for how we will keep them safe,' he added, claiming the public was just confused by the dense legalistic language of the memo.
'I've got a lot to learn about comms and messaging,' Bragg conceded. 'Lesson learned.'
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has apologized for 'confusion' over his new policies downgrading many felony charges, but is not backing
