NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Two New York State lawmakers are suing the NYPD, alleging police used illegal tactics against them during a Black Lives Matter protest last year.
State Sen. Zellnor Myrie and Assemblywoman Diana Richardson claim they were surrounded, beaten with bicycles, pepper-sprayed by police and then handcuffed while peacefully protesting in Brooklyn in May 2020, according to the lawsuit, which was first reported by The New York Times.
This is horrifying and unacceptable.
— NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) May 30, 2020
The NYPD must respect the right of New Yorkers to make their voices heard as we mourn and demand justice for George Floyd.
We knew this protest was happening tonight. We should have been prepared to handle it peacefully. https://t.co/cg7Ajyhonu
The lawsuit, which names Mayor Bill de Blasio, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea and six individual officers as defendants, alleges police violated their free speech rights.
The suit also asks a judge to declare tactics that the two lawmakers say police used against them to be deemed unlawful, including "kettling" which often led to violent clashes as police surrounded protesters and blocked them from leaving a certain area.
The city Law Department and NYPD did not respond to requests for comment from the Times.
The lawyer representing the lawmakers, Sean Hecker, tweeted, "Very proud to be representing @zellnor4ny and @YourFavoriteASW in this important lawsuit aimed at vindicating core 1st Amendment rights and ending practices like kettling and using bikes as weapons."
Very proud to be representing @zellnor4ny and @YourFavoriteASW in this important lawsuit aimed at vindicating core 1st Amendment rights and ending practices like kettling and using bikes as weapons. https://t.co/Ii1gT37eUB
— Sean Hecker (@hecker_sean) June 28, 2021
Asked about the lawsuit at his daily briefing Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio pointed to a number of changes implemented after last year's protests.
"We're talking about events from a year ago. I was nearby when it happened, I was very distressed to hear that they had that experience, we don't want that to happen to anyone," de Blasio said. "There's been extensive investigation by DOI and law department, a host of changes and recommendations that they put forward that are being implemented. But I'm not going to comment any further obviously with a lawsuit on the table, I think we've spoken very, very consistently to what we learned from all of the challenges of that time and the things we're doing differently now."
"99% of our interactions I want to say end up positive," said NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison. "You're going to have a percentage unfortunately that don't go the direction that we like, it's important that we learn from these mistakes and become a better police department to protect this city. So regarding the lawsuit I don't have much to say about that, but we evaluate mistakes that are made and we become a better police department from those mistakes."
In January, New York State Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against the NYPD, seeking systemic reforms and the installation of a federal monitor to oversee the department's policing tactics in future protests.
