NAPD Supports #ThisStopsToday

NAPD just joined over 100  other community and national advocacy organizations signing on to 11 demands of the coalition, #ThisStopsToday.  As they explain on their website, “#ThisStopsToday convened to respond to the Staten Island grand jury's expected failure to indict officers in the killing of Eric Garner, and to call for the end of discriminatory ‘broken windows’ policing, characterized by aggressive enforcement of minor quality of life offenses, that led to the killing of Eric and brutality against too many other New Yorkers."  

The coalition began meeting even before the grand jury decision was announced in the chokehold death of Eric Garner in Staten Island.

There are 11 demands and 11 days of action corresponding with the 11 times Garner gasped, "I can't breathe." For more information about actions such as die-ins, marches, teach-ins and even caroling for justice, you can click here. You can also add your own actions.

By endorsing the demands NAPD joins public defenders like the Legal Aid Society and 5 Borough Defenders, as well as the New York Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and the Center for Constitutional Rights.  

Below are the 11 demands. Though they are New York-centric perhaps they will inspire ideas for legal changes in other jurisdictions and nationwide.

ACCOUNTABILITY FOR NYPD USE OF EXCESSIVE & DEADLY FORCE, AS WELL AS ABUSE

1)       Full accountability through NYPD disciplinary procedures and the criminal justice system for all NYPD officers responsible for killing Eric Garner, Akai Gurley and all officers who brutalize New Yorkers.

2)       Department of Justice should convene grand juries to federally indict officers responsible for the killing of Eric Garner, as well as in other NYC cases such as Ramarley Graham.  (We are in solidarity with calls for federal charges in the killings of Michael Brown, John Crawford and others).

3)       Governor Cuomo should issue an executive order directing the Office of the Attorney General to serve as special prosecutor in cases involving civilians killed by police officers.

4)       Governor Cuomo should veto legislation (S7801/A9853) that would allow police unions to make police disciplinary policies subject to contract negotiations. The legislation would undermine the ability of local government officials across New York State to discipline officers engaged in misconduct and brutality.

5)       End the NYPD Commissioner's exclusive authority over disciplinary decisions for officers in cases of abuse, misconduct towards civilians, and excessive or deadly force.

END DISCRIMINATORY AND ABUSIVE NYPD POLICIES & PRACTICES

6)       Mayor de Blasio should end broken windows, and other discriminatory and abusive policing practices. This includes hyper-aggressive selective enforcement of low-level offenses, NYPD's discriminatory arrests for violations (non-criminal offenses), enforcement of possession of small amounts of marijuana; blanket surveillance of Muslim communities and political activists.

7)       Mayor de Blasio should work with the City Council to pass the Right to Know Act to protect New Yorkers' rights and improve daily interactions between NYPD officers and New Yorkers.

8)       The Floyd federal stop-and-frisk trial court-appointed monitor Peter Zimroth, the facilitator Judge Ariel Belen, and Mayor Bill de Blasio should ensure that organizations led by and for communities impacted by discriminatory and abusive policing have a formal and structured role in NYPD reform. The Court-appointed Monitor, Facilitator and Mayor's office should work with Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) to ensure that community organizations help determine what reforms are to be implemented, how they should be implemented, and how they are evaluated.

TRANSPARENCY OF NYPD DISCRIMINATORY ENFORCEMENT AND USE OF EXCESSIVE & DEADLY FORCE

9)     The Department of Justice should launch an investigation into broken windows policing and the use-of-force policies and practices of the NYPD.

10)   NYPD Inspector General Philip Eure should issue a report on the use of deadly force and other excessive force, to include accounting of the disciplinary outcomes in these incidents over the past two decades.

11)   The NYPD should publish quarterly and annual reports of summons and misdemeanor arrests, as well as use of force, to include demographic data such as race, gender, age, precinct, etc.  (We are also in solidarity with national calls for a federal database on use of force and police killings).