Today, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a lawsuit against the NYPD for their abuse and violence apparent in the protests following George Floyd's and Breonna Taylor's killings last year. Below is Communities United for Police Reform's response:
“The Attorney General and the City's Department of Investigations and Law Department have all released reports with details of the horrific violence and abuse the NYPD perpetrated against New Yorkers last summer. But while government reports help affirm and expose what Black and other New Yorkers of color have long known, it's long past time for real action," said Mark Winston Griffith, spokesperson for Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) and executive director of the Brooklyn Movement Center. "We applaud Attorney General James for going beyond reports and suing Mayor de Blasio, New York City and the NYPD for their unjustifiable mass violence against protesters. Mayor de Blasio and NYPD leadership enabled, enacted, condoned and excused repeated mass violence against New Yorkers who were exercising their First Amendment Rights last year, with no accountability for misconduct. NYPD violence against protesters is a long-standing problem and it's a credit to Attorney General James that she's using the power of her office to challenge the systemic lack of accountability for this violence. Given our long experience suing the NYPD and organizing against police violence in this city, we know that lasting change from this litigation will require that organizations like ours - that are led by Black, Latinx and other communities of color who regularly experience police violence at protests and in our communities - are able to act as an independent counterweight to any monitor appointed by the court. Nothing can replace the expertise and leadership of our communities when it comes to combating NYPD violence."
About Communities United for Police Reform
Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) is an unprecedented campaign to end abusive discriminatory policing practices in New York, and to build a lasting movement that promotes public safety and reduces reliance on policing. CPR runs coalitions of over 200 local, statewide and national organizations, bringing together a movement of community members, lawyers, researchers and activists to work for change. The partners in this campaign come from all 5 boroughs, from all walks of life and represent many of those most unfairly targeted by the NYPD.