(Gothamist) Brooklyn residents with outstanding arrest warrants tied to minor summonses will have an opportunity to resolve their cases without being taken into custody at a special event scheduled for Saturday. District Attorney Eric Gonzalez is reviving the initiative as the number of quality-of-life citations issued by the NYPD has increased, adding to a substantial backlog of unresolved cases.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Bridge Street AME Church on Stuyvesant Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant. It is intended for people who received criminal summonses for minor violations but failed to appear or respond by the required deadline.

Gonzalez described the types of violations involved, saying, “They’re for really low-level offenses: being in the park after dark, walking a dog off a leash, maybe smoking a cigarette where you’re not allowed to smoke,” he told Gothamist

The renewed initiative comes against the backdrop of expanded NYPD enforcement targeting minor public-order violations. City figures show that officers issued more than 220,000 civil and criminal summonses during the latest fiscal year, a 13% increase over the previous year.

However, the increased enforcement has also drawn criticism over how tickets are issued. Earlier reporting found that hearing officers dismissed nearly half of the civil violation citations reviewed, frequently because of procedural mistakes or improper service. Critics argue that the volume of dismissed tickets raises concerns about the effectiveness and cost of the enforcement campaign.

Dawn Ryan, who leads the Legal Aid Society’s Brooklyn trial office, questioned the circumstances behind the growing need for warrant-clearing events.

“The need for an initiative like this … raises serious questions about why so many of these summonses are being issued in the first place,” she said.

The NYPD offered a different perspective. Department spokesperson Bradley Weekes said criminal summons activity this year is virtually unchanged compared with the same period last year. He added that officers are responding to quality-of-life complaints submitted by residents through 311.

Mayor Mamdani’s administration also expressed support for Saturday’s effort. City Hall spokesperson Sam Raskin said the program could help remove legal obstacles that affect residents’ everyday lives.

“Our administration commends District Attorney Gonzalez’s efforts to help New Yorkers clear old summons warrants, which can make it harder for New Yorkers’ to get a job, obtain housing or apply for citizenship, and can deter people from engaging with law enforcement,” Raskin said.

Concerns Over Disparities and Public Safety

Gonzalez said he is concerned about the distribution of quality-of-life enforcement, particularly its impact on economically disadvantaged communities and people of color. Although he said he does not intend to second-guess individual NYPD decisions, he questioned whether the burden of these citations falls disproportionately on certain populations.

“I have always been concerned about the racial disparities in these tickets. You know, 85% of these tickets are given to people of color. That has not changed over the years,” Gonzalez said. “The enforcement is often done in the poorest neighborhoods, where the cost of the tickets have the biggest affordability issues for folks.”

He also raised concerns about what happens when residents ignore criminal summonses. A missed response deadline can result in an arrest warrant, potentially exposing someone to arrest during a later encounter with police, including an otherwise routine traffic stop.

The DA argued that outstanding warrants can create a cycle in which residents become reluctant to approach or cooperate with law enforcement because they fear being arrested.

“ I think it keeps us less safe, quite frankly, if people try to avoid the police or prosecutors because they have a summons warrant,” he said.

‘Begin Again’ Returns After Eight-Year Hiatus

The Saturday gathering marks the return of the DA’s “Begin Again” program, which is designed to help people resolve outstanding warrants stemming from criminal summonses. A similar initiative was discontinued in 2018.

The DA’s office says restarting the program is “urgently needed,” citing the large number of unresolved warrants throughout New York City associated with unpaid tickets.

The effort brings together the DA’s office, the Legal Aid Society, local judges and elected officials. Participants will be able to consult with attorneys at no charge before having their cases reviewed in a temporary courtroom established inside the church.

Judges will examine outstanding warrants and any related penalties. Gonzalez expects many of the cases to be dismissed following judicial review.

“ Most of these tickets will get dismissed by the judges, as would happen if you went to regular court,” he said.

According to Gonzalez, his office has contacted residents in surrounding neighborhoods who have outstanding warrants related to criminal quality-of-life summonses. He emphasized that attending Saturday’s event will not result in participants being arrested.

He further stated that undocumented immigrants with outstanding warrants connected to these summonses will not face immigration consequences for participating in the program.