The New York Police Department is being dragged to court over its "brutal response" to peaceful protesters.
Per NBC News, Charlie Monlouis-Anderle—who uses they/them pronouns—claims to have been participating in a peaceful protest on June 3 for George Floyd when NYPD officers arrived at the scene in full riot gear and surrounded the protesters on all sides. Monlouis-Anderle then alleges the police started to beat the protesters with their batons.
Monlouis-Anderle claims that they did not hear to police try to disperse the protesters before getting violent. Yet, they claim that at least three officers police tackled them and beat them until their body was limp. Monlouis-Anderle then stated that they were zipped tied before being initially denied medical attention for their broken arm. They were also repeatedly misgendered by the officers.
Monlouis-Anderle's story matches 11 other accounts that were detailed in a lawsuit on Monday. The New York Civil Liberties Union and the Legal Aid Society filed the case on the victims' behalf against New York City Police Department, Mayor Bill de Blasio, and Police Commissioner Dermont Shea.
"The world was rightly shocked when the NYPD met demonstrators against police harassment and violence with the very abuse they took to the streets to protest," Attorney-in-charge of the Legal Aid Society criminal defense practice's special litigation unit, Corey Stoughton, said. "Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Shea encouraged and allowed this violent response ... misconduct primarily affecting Black and Brown New Yorkers."
NYPD spokesperson Detective Denise Moroney told NBC News that "We will review the lawsuit if and when we are served" while the mayor responded to the lawsuit at a press conference on Monday.
"Clearly, what we want and what we believe in is a better and more peaceful relationship between the NYPD and the community," de Blasio said. "I’m not going to speak to the details of the lawsuit, but I think the underlying concept just isn’t fair."
This comes after New York Attorney General Letitia James released a 57-page report in response to over 1,300 complaints of excessive force used against protesters by police during the series of protests that occurred after George Floyd's murder.
