Assemblyman Chris Tague (R,C,I-Schoharie) today joined fellow Minority lawmakers, crime victims and advocates from numerous organizations for a rally in which they called upon the governor and the state Legislature to fix bail reform and pass measures to curb rising violence. The event coincided with Crime Victims’ Rights Week in New York state.

At the rally, participants spoke of their experiences enduring great pain and personal loss at the hands of criminals who have been emboldened in recent years following the passage of bail reform in 2019. Of particular note among the coalition of groups represented at the event was one made up of concerned citizens who had traveled over 140 miles by foot from the Bronx to Albany to call for the passage of anti-crime legislation. The group was led by Sammy Ravelo, a Navy veteran and retired NYPD Lieutenant who spoke at the event.

“The experiences shared with us today were heartbreaking, and I thank everyone who attended and spoke for being willing to discuss such painful memories,” said Tague. “It’s been beyond frustrating that Majority lawmakers still haven’t gotten serious about fixing bail reform and restoring judicial discretion when it’s become clear the small ‘tweaks’ they’ve made to the law have done nothing to curb rising crime rates.”