Press Releases

For immediate release: August 25, 2020

Court Rules Communities United for Police Reform May Intervene in NYPD Misconduct Database Case

Group That Led #Repeal50a Campaign to Enter Police Unions’ Lawsuit Aimed at Rolling Back 50-a Repeal and Re-Entrenching Police Secrecy

August 25, 2020, New York – Today, a federal court ruled that Communities United for Police Reform (CPR), represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights and the law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, may intervene in a lawsuit brought by five New York City police unions, as well as corrections and firefighter unions, that seeks to block the City from publishing officer misconduct and discipline information and roll back the historic repeal of N.Y. Civil Rights Law § 50-a. The unions sued the City in July, after the New York State legislature repealed 50-a, a law that had shielded the records from the public, and the de Blasio administration announced plans to release a searchable NYPD misconduct database. Also last Friday, the court denied the unions’ request for a preliminary injunction blocking release of the records during the duration of the litigation.
For immediate release: August 21, 2020

Communities United for Police Reform Celebrates Denial Of Police Union’s Request for Injunction & Attempt to Rollback 50-a Repeal

New York, NY -- Today, U.S. District Court Judge Katherine Polk Failla denied police unions’ request for a preliminary injunction to block the City of New York from publishing officer misconduct databases, with limited exceptions.
For immediate release: August 20, 2020

CPR Statement on Release of 300,000+ Complaints about NYPD Officers

New York, NY – Today, the Second Circuit Court lifted the stay that was preventing the New York Civil Liberties Union from publishing its database of NYPD officer misconduct records that it obtained from the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), the independent agency that investigates certain complaints about police abuse of civilians. The database is now live here, and it contains information about more than 300,000 misconduct complaints that were investigated by the CCRB dating back to before 1985.
For immediate release: August 18, 2020

Communities United for Police Reform Condemns Police Union’s Request for Injunction in Attempt to Reverse 50-a Repeal

New York, NY -- Today, a federal hearing was held regarding the police unions’ request for a preliminary injunction to prevent the City of New York from publishing officer misconduct databases, following the repeal of New York’s police secrecy law, “50-a”. 

For immediate release: August 12, 2020

Mother and Family of Kawaski Trawick Outraged as Bronx District Attorney Clark Declines to Charge Officers Who Killed Trawick in His Home

Trawick Family Calls on Mayor de Blasio to Fire Officers Brendan Thompson and Herbert Davis

New York, NY - In response to Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark’s decision not to charge NYPD Officers Brendan Thompson and Herbert Davis, the Justice Committee and Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) released the following statement from Ellen Trawick, mother of Kawaski Trawick.

Statement by Ellen Trawick, mother of Kawaski Trawick:

For immediate release: August 4, 2020

Statement by Gwen Carr, Mother of Eric Garner, After Oral Arguments Cut Short & Recessed in Carr v. de Blasio

New York, NY - Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, reacted to the unexpected shortening and recess of today's Carr v. de Blasio oral arguments after a City Law Department attorney experienced a power outage impacting his video of court proceedings. The hearing presided over by New York State Supreme Court Judge Joan A. Madden, will resume tomorrow, Wednesday, August 5, at 11:30 AM.

For immediate release: July 29, 2020

Communities United for Police Reform Moves to Intervene in NYPD Misconduct Database Case

 

Group That Led #Repeal50a Campaign Seeks to Enter Police Unions’ Lawsuit Aimed at Rolling Back 50-a Repeal and Re-Entrenching Police Secrecy

 
 
 

 

For immediate release: July 1, 2020

#DefundNYPD Campaign: Council Budget Vote Fails to Cut at least $1B from NYPD to Invest in Black, Latinx & other Communities of Color During Pandemic

Budget deploys fuzzy math and exempts NYPD from hiring freeze as teachers, social service and other essential workers and programs are left out to dry

New York, NY (July 1, 2020) – Today, Communities United for Police Reform (CPR), the unprecedented campaign uniting New York’s organizing and advocacy organizations to end police violence and imagine a future of safety without relying on police – and the coordinator of the coalition of 200 organizations demanding #DefundNYPD for #NYCBudgetJustice – issued the following statement following the City Council’s budget vote:

For immediate release: June 29, 2020

CPR Slams Mayor de Blasio & Speaker Johnson for Playing Budget Tricks to Protect NYPD Budget Instead of Social Safety Net & Programs in Pandemic: New Yorkers Won’t Accept Anything Less Than a True $1 Billion NYPD Cut & True Reinvestment in Communities

New York, NY (June 29, 2020) – Communities United for Police Reform (CPR), the unprecedented campaign uniting New York’s organizing and advocacy organizations to end police violence and imagine a future of safety without relying on the police - and the coordinator of the coalition of almost 200 organizations demanding #DefundNYPD for #NYCBudgetJustice, today issued the following statement responding to reporting on Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council’s anticipated budget announcement:
For immediate release: June 23, 2020

In Letter to Mayor de Blasio and Speaker Johnson More than 170 Community Organizations Endorse Campaign to #DefundNYPD For #NYCBudgetJustice

NEW YORK, NY — Today, more than 170 local & national organizations, brought together by Communities United for Police Reform (CPR), released a follow-up to their April letter calling on New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson to cut at least $1 billion directly from the NYPD expense budget by the June 30th deadline and redirect resources for FY21 to core social programs that are essential for Black, Latinx and other communities hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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