NYPD sued For Racial Injustice during George Floyd Protests

via chicago suntimes

New York’s Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against the New York Police Department citing "excessive, brutal and unlawful" treatment during last summer’s George Floyd protests. The lawsuit includes multiple examples of misconduct, excessive force and abuse exhibited by police officers and leadership.

"Over the past few months, the NYPD has repeatedly and blatantly violated the rights of New Yorkers, inflicting significant physical and psychological harm and leading to great distrust in law enforcement," James told reporters on Thursday.

James stated that her office received 1,300 complaints, and 300 written statements from citizens over the summer concerning police mistreatment and excessive force. Under the request of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, James’ investigated videos and statements against the department dating back from May to December. The lawsuit describes the misuse of weapons such as pepper spray and batons, improper arrests of protestors, medic personnel and legal teams, as well as the abuse of crowd control tactics like kettling to trap protestors, reports the AP.

James’ lawsuit demands reform and the appointment of a federal monitor to supervise the NYPD and their policing tactics at future protests. Legal Aid and the ACLU have also filed lawsuits against the NYPD, their leadership and de Blasio.