D-LMA 2025 Annual Meeting of the Members, 03.05.2025
Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg talks about public safety at D-LMA annual meeting.
At the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Association (D-LMA)’s annual meeting of the members and directors held on March 5, 2025 at the Down Town Association, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg spoke about the kinds of cases his office spends time pursuing and how Lower Manhattan stakeholders can help increase the overall sense of public safety and wellbeing in the city.
In Bragg’s estimation, there are several types of crimes that consume the bulk of the District Attorney office’s time and resources.
The first category includes violent crimes, including gun violence, sexual and gender-based violence, and hate crimes. He noted that, fortunately, these types of offenses are less common in NYPD’s first precinct that serves Lower Manhattan than in other districts. Over the past three years, gun violence is down 45% in the city. Conversely, hate crimes have reached an all-time high recently, causing his office to expand its lawyers from about three who specialize in these cases, to 17.
The second category includes white collar crimes and public corruption, which are largely unique to Manhattan.
The third, and one of the most common offenses in Lower Manhattan, is shoplifting. Recidivism, especially as it relates to shoplifting in Lower Manhattan, is also an issue that requires a significant amount of time and resources for the DA’s office to address.
When asked how downtown stakeholders can help Bragg’s team continue to serve the community, he recommended reaching out to your state representatives in the Assembly and Senate to make your voice heard. He also suggested going to Albany during the legislative session to advocate for the proposed bills that you want to see passed.
In addition to the discussion on the DA’s state of affairs, the D-LMA board members approved the minutes for last year’s meeting and the budget, and the D-LMA members approved the 2025 slate of directors. Ben Brown, of Brookfield Properties, and Andrew Schwartz, of the Howard Hughes Corporation, stepped down from the board and were replaced by Callie Haines, of Brookfield Properties, and Lucy Fato, of the Seaport Entertainment Group.