Activists Rally at City Hall in Support of Community Safety Act

January 10, 2014
NY1 News

Activists took to the steps of City Hall Friday to rally in support of non-discrimination laws, which the police union is trying to get rid of.

Last year, the City Council passed the Community Safety Act over the veto of then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The law makes it easier for people to sue the New York City Police Department if they felt they had been profiled.

The Patrolman's Benevolent Association filed a lawsuit against the legislation.

They say it unfairly punishes officers who are trying to do their job.

Supporters of the law took legal action to block that lawsuit.

"It's time for the police unions to stop trying to turn back the clock on progress in New York City," said Andrea Ritchie of Streetwise and Safe.

"As much as the leadership of this city may have made statements and may have committed to change, it's still very difficult to change the culture that's happened in the NYPD over so long," said Djibril Toure of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement.

Mayor Bill de Blasio praised the anti-profiling bill when it passed in 2013.