Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit against the NYPD includes examples of alleged misconduct, including the use of pepper spray and batons on protesters, kettling demonstrators, and arresting medics and legal observers.
AG Letitia James filed the suit in the Southern District of New York on Thursday
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, Chief of Department Terence Monahan and Mayor Bill de Blasio are named as defendants in the suit
James says from May to December officers ‘repeatedly without justification used batons, fist strikes, pepper spray, and other physical force’ against protesters
James said officers also used bicycles, a crowd-control tactic known as ‘kettling’, and arrested hundreds of innocent bystanders without cause
Since May, James said her office has received more than 1,300 complaints and collected more than 300 written statements regarding apparent police abuse
James said officers struck protesters with blunt instruments at least 50 times, unlawfully deployed pepper spray on at least 30 time, and hit at least 75
AG Letitia James' lawsuit includes dozens of examples of alleged misconduct during the spring demonstrations, including the use of pepper spray and batons on protesters, trapping people with a technique called kettling and arresting medics and legal observers.