Source: Joshua Rashaad McFadden / Getty
New York Attorney General Letitia James has launched a lawsuit against the New York Police Department, citing excessive use of force during Black Lives Matters protests as the impetus. The landmark lawsuit takes particular aim at the NYPD‘s handling of protests in the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others in the past year with hopes of reform among the police ranks.
As outlined in a press release from James’ office on Thursday (Jan. 14), the lawsuit seeks to put the NYPD and its top officials on notice for the overuse of force during peaceful protests and also eradicating false arrests against residents who gather in demonstrations.
From the press release:
The lawsuit specifically charges the NYPD, the City of New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea, and NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan with failing to address this longstanding pattern of abuse by not properly training, supervising, and disciplining officers to prevent misconduct, despite knowledge and public admission that it violated the rights of New Yorkers.
“There is no question that the NYPD engaged in a pattern of excessive, brutal, and unlawful force against peaceful protesters,” offered Attorney General James in the body of the release. “Over the past few months, the NYPD has repeatedly and blatantly violated the rights of New Yorkers, inflicting significant physical and psychological harm and leading to great distrust in law enforcement. With today’s lawsuit, this longstanding pattern of brutal and illegal force ends. No one is above the law — not even the individuals charged with enforcing it.”
Full information about AG James’ lawsuit can be found here.
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Photo: Getty
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