Current:Home > FinanceNew York police agree to reform protest tactics in settlement over 2020 response-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
New York police agree to reform protest tactics in settlement over 2020 response
View Date:2024-12-24 20:42:49
New York City's police department has agreed to adopt new policies intended to safeguard the rights of protesters as part of a legal settlement stemming from its response to the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020.
The 44-page agreement, filed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, requires the nation's largest police department to deploy fewer officers to most public protests. It creates a tiered system of protest response that prioritizes deescalation, while banning the NYPD's practice of kettling, a controversial tactic that involves trapping and arresting large groups of demonstrators.
The proposed changes must still be approved by a federal judge. But the agreement signals a likely resolution in the lawsuit filed by New York State Attorney General Letitia James in 2021, which detailed a pattern of civil rights violations committed by police as protests swept through the city following George Floyd's death in May 2020.
"Too often peaceful protesters have been met with force that has harmed innocent New Yorkers simply trying to exercise their rights," James said in a statement. "Today's agreement will meaningfully change how the NYPD engages with and responds to public demonstrations in New York City."
In a video statement, Mayor Eric Adams, a former police captain, said the settlement struck an appropriate balance to "ensure that we are both protecting public safety and respecting protesters' First Amendment rights."
The protests in 2020 gave way to chaotic street battles as riot police aggressively tried to quell demonstrations — both peaceful and unruly — with batons, pepper-spray and their own vehicles. Some protesters set police vehicles on fire and hurled bottles at officers. At multiple locations across the city, nonviolent demonstrators were penned in by police without provocation, leading to hundreds of arrests for low-level misdemeanors, such as disorderly conduct or blocking traffic.
Under the tiered enforcement approach, police commanders will designate protests as one of four tiers, with higher levels of mobilization coming in response to direct threats to public safety or critical infrastructure. Under the lower-tier response, the default for most protests, the NYPD must accommodate street demonstrations, including those that obstruct traffic.
The Strategic Response Group, a heavily armored police unit specializing in crowd control, may not be deployed until a police commander authorizes a tier three mobilization, based on certain offenses committed by protest attendees. Otherwise, the NYPD is expected to rely on community affairs officers trained in deescalation tactics.
"The NYPD has historically policed protests by sending as many as officers as they possibly can," said Corey Stoughton, an attorney at the Legal Aid Society. "That kind of overwhelming force and presence that we saw in 2020, which escalated violence with protesters, is a thing of the past."
The settlement also covers separate lawsuits brought by the Legal Aid Society, the New York Civil Liberties Union and other private attorneys, which were combined with the Attorney General's lawsuit. Plaintiffs are expected to receive a monetary award, which has yet to be announced.
The settlement requires the city to pay $1.6 million to the state's Department of Investigation, which will help oversee the agreement with other parties, including police leaders and civil rights groups.
New York City has already agreed to pay at least $35 million for claims of police misconduct during the 2020 protests, including an estimated $10 million for people who were kettled during a demonstration in the South Bronx. More than 600 people have brought individual claims against the city, many of which are still pending.
- In:
- Police Reform
- Death of George Floyd
- New York
veryGood! (65)
Related
- 15 new movies you'll want to stream this holiday season, from 'Emilia Perez' to 'Maria'
- Most major retailers and grocers will be open on Labor Day. Costco and your bank will be closed
- San Francisco 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall released from hospital after shooting
- College football Week 1 grades: Minnesota fails after fireworks fiasco
- Wheel of Fortune Contestant Goes Viral Over His Hilariously Wrong Answer
- Great Value Apple Juice recalled over arsenic: FDA, Walmart, manufacturer issue statements
- Clay Matthews jokes about why Aaron Rodgers wasn't at his Packers Hall of Fame induction
- Sephora Flash Sale: 50% Off 24-Hour Lancome Foundation, Viral Clinique Black Honey Lipstick & More
- Advance Auto Parts is closing hundreds of stores in an effort to turn its business around
- Caitlin Clark is now clear ROY favorite over Angel Reese. Why? She's helping Fever win.
Ranking
- Homes of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce burglarized, per reports
- Score 50% Off Ariana Grande’s R.E.M. Beauty Lip Liner and $8.50 Ulta Deals from Tarte, Kopari & More
- Johnny Gaudreau's Wife Breaks Silence After NHL Star and Brother Killed in Biking Accident
- 4 men fatally shot in Albuquerque; 1 person in custody
- Oprah Winfrey denies being paid $1M for Kamala Harris rally: 'I was not paid a dime'
- Remembering the Volkswagen Beetle: When we said bye-bye to the VW Bug for the last time
- These 10 old Ford Mustangs are hugely underappreciated
- Get 50% Off Ariana Grande Perfume, Kyle Richards' Hair Fix, Paige DeSorbo's Lash Serum & $7 Ulta Deals
Recommendation
-
American Idol’s Triston Harper, 16, Expecting a Baby With Wife Paris Reed
-
Georgia vs. Clemson highlights: Catch up on all the big moments from the Bulldogs' rout
-
Georgia vs. Clemson highlights: Catch up on all the big moments from the Bulldogs' rout
-
These 10 old Ford Mustangs are hugely underappreciated
-
Black women notch historic Senate wins in an election year defined by potential firsts
-
Race for Alaska’s lone US House seat narrows to final candidates
-
Mexico offers escorted rides north from southern Mexico for migrants with US asylum appointments
-
Scottie Scheffler caps off record season with FedEx Cup title and $25 million bonus