New York police used excessive force against BLM demonstrators, report finds
Mayor Bill de Blasio says city’s police force has ‘to do something better’
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Your support makes all the difference.New York police used excessive force against Black Lives Matter protesters during demonstrations against racism and brutality, a report says.
The probe was launched by the city after NYPD officers were caught on camera in violent confrontations during protests sparked by the George Floyd killing earlier this year.
Some demonstrators were shoved and struck by police while on the ground, and officers were even filmed driving their department vehicles into crowds of people in Brooklyn.
“The NYPD’s use of force and certain crowd control tactics to respond to the Floyd protests produced excessive enforcement that contributed to heightened tensions,” the city’s investigators said in a 111-page report.
One of the report’s major conclusions was that "most officers responding to the protests had not received recent relevant training for policing protests," apart from those in specialist units.
But the report also said that a majority of officers performed their duties appropriately with only a few acting improperly.
Mr Floyd died in Minneapolis in May after being arrested by a white police officer, who then pressed his knee on his throat for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.
“It makes very clear we’ve got to do something different, and we’ve got to do something better,” said mayor Bill de Blasio in a video statement.
“I read this report, and I agree with it. I agree with its analysis, and I agree with its recommendations.”
The report has recommended the creation of a single independent oversight body to prevent future excessive use of force by the department.
It would investigate complaints, recommend discipline of individual officers and review NYPD policy and practices, among other things.
"We accept the recommendations of the Department of Investigation and we're going to implement them right away,” added Mr de Blasio.
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