In the Media

De Blasio slammed for timing on controversial police reform bill

01/08/2018
New York Daily News

The mayor hastily added a hearing for a controversial police reform bill to his schedule Monday — at a time when many of the activists opposed to it were mourning Erica Garner.

Mayor de Blasio added the Right to Know Act to a slew of other, less contentious, bills getting hearings Monday — slipping the bills into an updated advisory he issued two hours before the event was to begin. Meanwhile, a funeral was being held for Garner, whose father Eric Garner was killed as a police officer used a chokehold while trying to arrest him on Staten Island in 2014.

Melissa Mark-Viverito, a Mayor-Made Speaker, Sought a Member-Driven Legacy

12/30/2017
Gotham Gazette

Melissa Mark-Viverito, the first Latina to preside over the 51-member New York City Council, leaves office having shepherded a progressive shift in the city’s direction, in conjunction with fellow Democrat Mayor Bill de Blasio, a philosophically aligned partner in government who was the deciding factor in her winning the powerful speaker position four years ago.

Judge: NYPD must release documents on Ramarley Graham shooting

12/28/2017
NY1

The family of a Bronx teen shot and killed by a police officer has won a legal victory against the NYPD.

A State Supreme Court judge has ruled the department must release documents related to the death of Ramarley Graham.

His family will receive some for private use, while other files can only be reviewed with a judge present.

The NYPD had cited an obscure state law as a means to keep files on Graham's 2012 shooting private.

Judge slams NYPD's delay of slapping cops in Ramarley Graham slay

12/27/2017
New York Daily News

A judge has criticized the NYPD for delaying disciplining officers involved in the fatal shooting of Ramarley Graham in 2012 and ordered the department to release documents related to the tragedy.

Justice Manuel Mendez signed his decision on Dec. 22 — the same day NYPD Sgt. Scott Morris and Officer John McLoughlin were finally reprimanded for their roles in the Bronx shooting of the unarmed 18-year-old.

NYPD Wrong To Keep Ramarley Graham Shooting Records Secret: Court

12/27/2017
Patch

The NYPD must release a large batch of records related to a cop's 2012 killing of Bronx teenager Ramarley Graham, a Manhattan judge ruled Wednesday.

Siding with Graham's parents and police-reform advocacy groups in a Freedom of Information lawsuit, state Supreme Court Justice Manuel J. Mendez said the NYPD was wrong to say every document Graham's parents requested last year was exempt from disclosure under state public records laws.

Two Bronx cops punished for roles in Ramarley Graham shooting

12/22/2017
New York Daily News

Two cops are being disciplined for their roles in the shooting death of an unarmed Bronx man, police sources said Thursday.

NYPD Sgt. Scott Morris and Officer John McLoughlin faced departmental charges in connection with the killing of 18-year-old Ramarley Graham in February 2012. On Thursday, their cases were settled.

Morris will be suspended for 30 days without pay, then will resign without the “good guy” letter that would have allowed him to carry a weapon, sources said.

Police accountability bills fall short for some activists

12/21/2017
News12

Two bills on police accountability passed by the City Council this week, but some activists who originally pushed for them say they aren't satisfied.

Intro 541 of the Right to Know Act requires officers to clearly explain that searches are completely voluntary and only allows searches if consent is given. The second bill, Intro 182, requires officers to identify themselves, offer a business card and provide an explanation for police activity.

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