NYCLU on NYPD Violence at Pro-Palestine Protest in Bay Ridge 

NEW YORK CITY – Yesterday, the NYPD cracked down on pro-Palestine demonstrations in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. In response, the New York Civil Liberties Union issued the following statement, attributable to Executive Director Donna Lieberman:

“The aggressive escalation by the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group yesterday in Bay Ridge was a violation of New Yorkers’ right to speak out and risks chilling political expression. NYCLU protest monitors witnessed violent arrests, protestor injuries, and even arrests of credential members of the press. The NYPD’s violent reaction underscores why the City needs to urgently implement the Payne settlement, which sets new terms for how the NYPD manages protest.

“The continual pattern of NYPD aggression against pro-Palestine demonstrators raises important questions about the City’s disparate treatment of speakers based on their message. The NYPD should be doing all it can to honor New Yorkers’ right to speak out on the issues that matter to them, not engaging in violent suppression.”