Press Releases

For immediate release: June 21, 2018

CPR Responds to Announcement of Panel on NYPD Discipline

In response to a report of NYPD announcing it has created an advisory panel to review its disciplinary policies, Communities United for Police Reform released the following statement from spokesperson Mark Winston Griffith, executive director of Brooklyn Movement Center.

For immediate release: June 19, 2018

Advocates Respond to Mayor de Blasio’s New Marijuana Enforcement Policy

In response to Mayor de Blasio unveiling a NYPD-created plan to change marijuana enforcement, Communities United for Police Reform released the following statement from spokesperson Monifa Bandele, a Senior Vice President at MomsRising.

For immediate release: June 18, 2018

Day after Families are Forced to Celebrate Father’s Day without Fathers who were Killed by NYPD, Family Members Demand Action from Mayor de Blasio

Families of Eric Garner, Delrawn Small & Saheed Vassell call for accountability and transparency for killings by NYPD officers, calling for firings and release of information

The families of Eric Garner, Delrawn Small, and Saheed Vasell – all fathers who missed Father’s Day with their families – and their community supporters called for Mayor de Blasio to take immediate action to hold the officers who killed them accountable. All of the families are being denied accountability by the de Blasio administration, with the NYPD failing to take actions to discipline and fire the officers responsible and withholding vital information from the families and public.

For immediate release: June 13, 2018

State Legislators & Advocates Call for Repeal of New York’s Police Secrecy Law That is among Worst in Nation

Problems with state law 50-a have recently been highlighted because of NYC Mayor de Blasio & NYPD’s frequently changing, new interpretations to hide more and more information on police misconduct

Several state legislators joined civil rights and advocacy organizations from across the state to announce support and call for repeal of New York State’s police secrecy law, 50-a. It is one of the worst laws in the nation blocking police transparency, and has seen an expanded use by political and police officials over the past four years to conceal basic and vital information about police misconduct and discipline from the public. Nowhere has this been more apparent than in New York City with the NYPD during the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio.

For immediate release: June 12, 2018

NY Police Reform Campaign Responds to State Assembly Passage of Police Transparency & Accountability Legislation

Legislative body passed bill to codify and strengthen executive order establishing Office of New York Attorney General as special prosecutor in police killings, and requirement for the state to collect data on policing by local departments across state

In response to the New York State Assembly passing special prosecutor legislation (A.5617-Perry) today and a police data transparency bill (A.5946A – Lentol) a few days ago, Communities United for Police Reform released the following statement from spokesperson Kesi Foster, a lead organizer at Make the Road New York.

For immediate release: June 8, 2018

Former Tennis Pro James Blake Responds to Report That NYPD Officer Who Tackled Him & Placed Him in Handcuffs Only Lost Five Vacation Days

Final discipline was only half of what NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board recommended

In response to a New York Daily News report revealing that Officer James Frascatore only received a punishment of losing five vacation days for tackling and slamming James Blake to the ground before improperly placing him in handcuffs outside of his Manhattan hotel in 2015, Blake released the following statement.

For immediate release: June 8, 2018

Civil Rights, Community Groups Welcome NYPD Spying Report

Today, a coalition of community and civil rights organizations welcomed a report on the New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) intelligence operations from Stephen Robinson, the Civilian Representative on the NYPD’s “Handschu Committee.” Last year, Mayor de Blasio appointed Robinson as the Civilian Representative, implementing reforms resulting from community mobilization in reaction to widespread NYPD spying on Muslim communities.

For immediate release: June 8, 2018

City & State Elected Officials, Civil Rights, Good Government & Community Groups, & New Yorkers Impacted by Police Brutality Call for Repeal of State Police Secrecy Law That is One of Worst in Nation

Group condemns NYPD’s misuse of state law 50-a with frequently changing and new interpretations, urge Mayor de Blasio to support concrete policy reform that repeals state law

A diverse coalition of elected officials, civil rights, community and good government groups, and New Yorkers impacted by police brutality called for the repeal of New York State’s police secrecy law, 50-a. It is one of the worst laws in the nation blocking police transparency, and the groups also criticized the NYPD’s misuse and reinterpretation of the law under Mayor de Blasio, urging his support for reform that repeals the law.

For immediate release: May 15, 2018

CPR Responds to Release of Report by Facilitator of Stop-and-Frisk Court-Ordered Reform Process

In response to the filing of a final report by the Facilitator of the court-ordered reform process to stop-and-frisk to the court, Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) released the following statement from spokesperson Linda Tigani of Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, whose member was the lead plaintiff in Floyd v. New York. CPR was a named stakeholder in the Court’s ruling in Floyd v. New York, Ligon v. New York and Davis v.

For immediate release: April 20, 2018

Mother of Eric Garner, Gwen Carr, Responds to Reports on DOJ Disagreement

In response to a report in the New York Times that top Justice Department officials are disagreeing on whether to charge NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo for killing Eric Garner by chokehold, the mother of Garner, Gwen Carr, released the following statement.

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