How NYC is dismissing thousands of open warrants for low-level "quality of life" summons

This past December, Brooklyn held its third 'Begin Again' event at a Brooklyn church. The event is a joint effort between NYC and Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson to ease the burden of summons paperwork and appearances on the court system. There are approximately 1.4 million open warrants in the NYC court system and a number of these warrants affect people in low-income communities. The purpose of 'Begin Again' is to dismiss some of these warrants for low-level instances like public urination, open containers, and trespassing so the court can focus more of its time on warrants that pertain to violent and more serious crimes.

There is a 'Begin Again' event planned for 2016 but its date and location have yet to be determined.