Petition Urges Faster Mental Health Intervention Under Kendra’s Law

After Steven Rozencwaig’s wife was assaulted on 3rd Avenue in September 2022, he subsequently discovered that the assaulter had a record of violent offenses, and had also allegedly thrown a bottle at an infant and punched a 71-year-old woman around the same time.

That knowledge of the suspect’s violent past was the catalyst to form Protect Our Citizens NYC, an organization now comprising approximately 160 New Yorkers who feel that cutting red tape to move repeat offenders into mental health treatment quickly will help them while making the public at large safer.

The group’s latest move has been to launch a petition addressed to nearly a dozen New York elected officials demanding “immediate legislative and executive action to end bureaucratic delays in applying Kendra’s Law and Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT).”

Kendra’s Law, a New York State statute enacted in 1999, allows courts to mandate Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) for certain individuals with severe mental illness who have a history of repeated psychiatric crises or violence. The program requires participants to follow a court-approved treatment plan while living in the community rather than in a hospital setting.

“The issue is there is an enormous amount of bureaucracy,” Rozencwaig said of the state legislation, while taking care to note that he isn’t a legislator or lawyer with intimate expertise on the institutional processes at hand.

“What I do know, speaking to these reps, is it seems like you have to build up some sort of history before the courts assign Kendra’s Law and apply AOT to these individuals,” Rozencwaig said. Protect Our Citizens NYC’s petition is focused on exactly this: the notion that the current system requires too many procedural hurdles before intervention can occur.

Rozencwaig said that delay is where danger arises; by the time the law is implemented, “somebody could be killed.” The petition’s first demand is to require immediate evaluations and consideration for AOT after a single unprovoked violent offense, rather than waiting for individuals to cycle through additional crises, hospitalizations, or court involvement. Launched on June 8, the petition garnered over 100 signatures in its first 24 hours and now has over 700.

The petition argues earlier intervention is advantageous to everyone involved: Citizens should maintain their “fundamental constitutional right to walk public streets safely,” and mentally ill individuals who engage in violent acts “have the right to be treated immediately, not after a broken system of bureaucracy deems it the appropriate time.”

Prior to starting the petition, Rozencwaig and Protect Our Citizens spent time lobbying Manhattan’s elected officials; Rozencwaig also stated that he regularly attends 19th Precinct Community Council meetings.

“I’ve had dialogue with them [elected officials], but they haven’t really done anything to really help us move the needle on this,” he said. The petition is addressed to Governor Kathy Hochul, Speaker of the New York State Assembly Carl Heastie, City Council Speaker Julie Menin, six Assembly Members, two City Council Members including Speaker Julie Menin, and State Senator Liz Krueger.

Rozencwaig had reasoning behind each addressee; some, like Assembly Member Rebecca A. Seawright, he included because they represent his district. Others, like Assembly Member Tony Simone, were included because of their work on public safety and the mental health crisis.

Upon request for a comment on Protect Our Citizens’ initiative and accompanying petition, Assembly Member Seawright’s office stated: “Assembly Member Rebecca A. Seawright has long supported efforts to strengthen mental health services and improve access to Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) under Kendra’s Law. She has heard from Mr. Rozencwaig and many other New Yorkers who have experienced the devastating consequences of untreated serious mental illness, and she appreciates their advocacy on this important issue.”

The statement highlighted the FY 2026-27 State Budget and its investments into New York’s mental health system: $1.4 billion for adult mental health services, nearly $385 million for forensic services, and $82 million for secure treatment programs.

Assembly Member Tony Simone’s office, like most of the elected officials contacted for this article, did not respond in time for publication. However, Rozencwaig wasn’t wrong in addressing the petition in part to Assembly Member Simone: in 2025, Assembly Member Simone released a SUM NY report on the “intersecting crises of addiction, homelessness, and mental health on our streets.”

In the report, Assembly Member Simone advocates for involuntary commitment, specifically as carried out by two proposals: The Supportive Interventions Act, introduced by Assemblymember Ed Braunstein, and the H.E.L.P. (“Harness Expertise of Licensed Professionals”) Act Introduced by then State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal (and current Manhattan borough president) and Assemblymember Micah Lasher. Lasher, who is currently running for Congress to succeed Jerry Nadler is another Assembly member named on the petition.

The H.E.L.P. Act, which has remained in committee since 2025, addresses a concern similar to that raised in the petition: delays in accessing treatment. Supporters say allowing additional licensed mental health professionals to conduct evaluations for involuntary hospitalization and AOT would help speed up the process amid provider shortages.

As for New York City Council, Kendra’s Law is state legislation, meaning that the Council does not wield formal authority over its content or implementation. The Council can, however, apply political pressure.

“Time and time again, New Yorkers who desperately need stability and mental health support fall through the cracks and in the worst scenarios, end up hurting other people,” a Council spokesperson responded to a request for comment on this issue. “That’s why the Council is negotiating for further investment in our city’s mental health infrastructure to support New Yorkers living with severe mental illness, especially individuals who have frequent interactions with the justice system.”