Press Releases

For immediate release:
June 27, 2018

Family of Delrawn Small Calls on New External NYPD Panel on Discipline Policies to Review Case of Officer Wayne Isaacs as Example of Problem with Disciplinary System

Small’s brother and sister urge Mayor de Blasio & Commissioner O’Neill to bring charges and fire Isaacs for shooting and killing their brother, failing to alert 911 to shooting or render aid, and lying about incident

 

Nearly 2 years after Isaacs killed unarmed Small and over 7 months since murder trial concluded, officer has faced no discipline or even charges

The sister and brother of Delrawn Small, Victoria Davis and Victor Dempsey, were joined by elected officials, community supporters and other families whose loved ones were killed by the NYPD to demand police accountability. Specifically, they called for Mayor de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner O’Neill to ensure that Officer Wayne Isaacs, who killed Small, has departmental disciplinary charges brought against him immediately and is fired.

For immediate release:
June 21, 2018

Family of Saheed Vassell & National Black Civil Rights Organization Color Of Change Deliver 20,000 Petitions from New Yorkers to Mayor de Blasio demanding Transparency

Petitions, along with community groups & elected officials, call for de Blasio administration to release names, unedited video footage and misconduct histories of officers who killed Vassell

After more than 11 weeks, de Blasio & NYPD refuse to release names of officers in shooting, despite cities across nation do so within 72 hours

Over 11 weeks after the NYPD killed unarmed Saheed Vassell in Crown Heights, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization – Color Of Change – joined Vassell’s parents and local community organizations to deliver 20, 000 petitions demanding transparency from Mayor de Blasio.

For immediate release:
June 18, 2018

Day after Families are Forced to Celebrate Father’s Day without Fathers who were Killed by NYPD, Family Members Demand Action from Mayor de Blasio

Families of Eric Garner, Delrawn Small & Saheed Vassell call for accountability and transparency for killings by NYPD officers, calling for firings and release of information

The families of Eric Garner, Delrawn Small, and Saheed Vasell – all fathers who missed Father’s Day with their families – and their community supporters called for Mayor de Blasio to take immediate action to hold the officers who killed them accountable. All of the families are being denied accountability by the de Blasio administration, with the NYPD failing to take actions to discipline and fire the officers responsible and withholding vital information from the families and public.

For immediate release:
June 13, 2018

State Legislators & Advocates Call for Repeal of New York’s Police Secrecy Law That is among Worst in Nation

Problems with state law 50-a have recently been highlighted because of NYC Mayor de Blasio & NYPD’s frequently changing, new interpretations to hide more and more information on police misconduct

Several state legislators joined civil rights and advocacy organizations from across the state to announce support and call for repeal of New York State’s police secrecy law, 50-a. It is one of the worst laws in the nation blocking police transparency, and has seen an expanded use by political and police officials over the past four years to conceal basic and vital information about police misconduct and discipline from the public. Nowhere has this been more apparent than in New York City with the NYPD during the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio.

For immediate release:
June 12, 2018

NY Police Reform Campaign Responds to State Assembly Passage of Police Transparency & Accountability Legislation

Legislative body passed bill to codify and strengthen executive order establishing Office of New York Attorney General as special prosecutor in police killings, and requirement for the state to collect data on policing by local departments across state

In response to the New York State Assembly passing special prosecutor legislation (A.5617-Perry) today and a police data transparency bill (A.5946A – Lentol) a few days ago, Communities United for Police Reform released the following statement from spokesperson Kesi Foster, a lead organizer at Make the Road New York.

For immediate release:
June 8, 2018

Former Tennis Pro James Blake Responds to Report That NYPD Officer Who Tackled Him & Placed Him in Handcuffs Only Lost Five Vacation Days

Final discipline was only half of what NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board recommended

In response to a New York Daily News report revealing that Officer James Frascatore only received a punishment of losing five vacation days for tackling and slamming James Blake to the ground before improperly placing him in handcuffs outside of his Manhattan hotel in 2015, Blake released the following statement.

For immediate release:
June 8, 2018

Civil Rights, Community Groups Welcome NYPD Spying Report

Today, a coalition of community and civil rights organizations welcomed a report on the New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) intelligence operations from Stephen Robinson, the Civilian Representative on the NYPD’s “Handschu Committee.” Last year, Mayor de Blasio appointed Robinson as the Civilian Representative, implementing reforms resulting from community mobilization in reaction to widespread NYPD spying on Muslim communities.

For immediate release:
June 8, 2018

City & State Elected Officials, Civil Rights, Good Government & Community Groups, & New Yorkers Impacted by Police Brutality Call for Repeal of State Police Secrecy Law That is One of Worst in Nation

Group condemns NYPD’s misuse of state law 50-a with frequently changing and new interpretations, urge Mayor de Blasio to support concrete policy reform that repeals state law

A diverse coalition of elected officials, civil rights, community and good government groups, and New Yorkers impacted by police brutality called for the repeal of New York State’s police secrecy law, 50-a. It is one of the worst laws in the nation blocking police transparency, and the groups also criticized the NYPD’s misuse and reinterpretation of the law under Mayor de Blasio, urging his support for reform that repeals the law.

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