By citing a pattern of making false arrests and using excessive force against the New York residents when they were holding peaceful protests, Letitia James, New York Attorney General, has filed a lawsuit that seeks racial justice for residents along with several other changes.
In the previous year, many activists conducted large state and nationwide protests along with the Black Lives Matter Movement. These events were conducted after the death of George Floyd by the police in Minneapolis. Similar incidents were reported around the country that sparked different other demonstrations. One of such incidents was the death of Breonna Taylor in Louisville.
Recently, the office of James said that they have received more than 1300 pieces of evidence and complaints concerning the response of police authorities to the New York City protests. Now, her office seeks a court order declaring that the practices and policies used by the NYPD when the protests were being conducted, were unlawful.
In addition to this court order, James and her team are asking for a monitor that oversees the handling and tactics of NYPD of the protests occurring in the future, and some policy reforms.
In 2020, people from different parts of the state have been criticizing the actions of many officers. A video was released in May 2020 where apparently SUVs moved forward into a crowd that surrounded them to show protest in Brooklyn. Another incident was reported where one officer took out his gun and pointed it at the protesting crowd.
Another video was released in July where officers in plain clothes were seen aggressively detaining a woman who participated in one of the protests. They hauled the lady away in a vehicle that was unmarked as reported by NPR.
Lawsuit Filed Against NYPD
