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NEW YORK CITY – The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) and the Legal Aid Society released the following statements in response to the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board’s (CCRB) report on New York City Police Department (NYPD) misconduct during the 2020 George Floyd demonstrations:
“This report shows why the NYPD cannot continue to have a monopoly on discipline,” said Molly Biklen, Deputy Legal Director at the New York Civil Liberties Union. “When New Yorkers took to the streets calling for racial justice in 2020, the NYPD responded with violence. This report gives the public a new window into the scale of officer misconduct, crucial access to troves of internal records and, in the end, stark evidence of the NYPD’s unwillingness to hold officers accountable.”
“As reflected in this report, Commissioner Keechant Sewell’s stated intention to reject or downgrade discipline recommended by the CCRB yet again emboldens problematic officers by undermining accountability efforts and furthers the culture of impunity that thrives at precincts throughout New York City,” said Jennvine Wong, staff attorney with the Cop Accountability Project at The Legal Aid Society. “Equally troubling, this further erodes the general public’s trust in the NYPD, and our clients – disproportionately New Yorkers from communities of color – ultimately suffer the consequences.”
