Lawsuits Over Protest Brutality Pile Up, Adding to Cities’ Police Costs
An ACLU case against New York City is the latest to allege that cities responded to demonstrations with brutality.
A lawsuit alleges the NYPD unnecessarily used tools like batons and pepper spray on demonstrators over their response to summer protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd.
Photographer: Scott Heins/Getty Images
U.S. cities are facing a growing number of lawsuits alleging excessive force against protesters this year.
The New York branch of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Legal Aid Society on Monday sued New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio and police leadership and officers over their response to summer protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd. The suit claims the New York City Police Department violated protesters’ First Amendment rights with brutal force.