Current:Home > ContactTradeEdge-New York police agree to reform protest tactics in settlement over 2020 response -MarketStream
TradeEdge-New York police agree to reform protest tactics in settlement over 2020 response
Oliver James Montgomery View
Date:2025-04-10 04:32:47
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s police department has agreed to establish 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 TradeEdge44-page agreement, filed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, requires the nation’s largest police department to deploy fewer officers to most public protests. It would end the NYPD’s practice of trapping and arresting large groups of demonstrators, a controversial tactic known as kettling.
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 2020 protests saw 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 several locations, protesters were penned in by police without warning, leading to hundreds of arrests for low-level misdemeanors, such as disorderly conduct or blocking traffic.
Under a tiered enforcement approach, the NYPD would be expected to accommodate street demonstrations, including those that obstruct traffic, unless they pose a direct threat to public safety or critical infrastructure.
For most protests, the department will be required to dispatch officers from its Community Affairs Bureau, rather than its specialized forces, with the goal of “communicating with protesters, understanding the aims of protest organizers.”
“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.
veryGood! (8729)
Related
- Illinois Gov. Pritzker calls for sheriff to resign after Sonya Massey shooting
- WNBA’s Riquna Williams arrested on felony domestic violence charges in Las Vegas
- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with Russian defense minister on military cooperation
- Actor Kevin Spacey is acquitted in the U.K. on sexual assault charges
- Kansas City Chiefs CEO's Daughter Ava Hunt Hospitalized After Falling Down a Mountain
- NYC plans to set up a shelter for 1,000 migrants in the parking lot of a psychiatric hospital
- Mega Millions jackpot hits $1 billion mark after no winners in Friday's drawing
- Stefon Diggs explains minicamp tiff with the Bills, says it's 'water under the bridge'
- British swimmer Adam Peaty: There are worms in the food at Paris Olympic Village
- JP Morgan execs face new allegations from U.S. Virgin Islands in $190 million Jeffrey Epstein lawsuit
Ranking
- How effective is the Hyundai, Kia anti-theft software? New study offers insights.
- Hunter Biden enters not guilty plea after deal falls apart
- 3 people whose partly mummified bodies were found at remote campsite planned to live off the grid, family says
- Missouri school board that voted to drop anti-racism resolution might consider a revised version
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Search ends for body of infant swept away by flood that killed sister, mother, 4 others
- Search ends for body of infant swept away by flood that killed sister, mother, 4 others
- Severe thunderstorms blast southern Michigan, cutting power to more than 140,000
Recommendation
From bitter rivals to Olympic teammates, how Lebron and Steph Curry became friends
Damar Hamlin is at training camp months after cardiac arrest: A full go, Bills coach says
Animal sedative 'tranq' worsening overdose crisis as it spreads across the country
Why Matt Damon Joked Kissing Costar Scarlett Johansson Was Hell
Elon Musk’s Daughter Vivian Calls Him “Absolutely Pathetic” and a “Serial Adulterer”
Kylie Jenner Shows Subtle Support for Jordyn Woods After Their Reunion
Rob Manfred’s term as baseball commissioner extended until 2029 by MLB owners
NYC plans to set up a shelter for 1,000 migrants in the parking lot of a psychiatric hospital