The city will pay more than $ 20,000 to 320 demonstrators victims of a controversial police operation on June 2, 2020, after the murder of George Floyd.
Mo12345lemonde with AFP
The city of New York will pay more than $ 20,000 to some 320 demonstrators victims of a controversial police operation in the Bronx, in June 2020, during anti -racist demonstrations which had followed the death of George Floyd and who had been enamelled with violence, according to a legal document.
For weeks after the death of this African-American, killed on May 25, 2020 by a white policeman, Minneapolis (New York), like other big cities in the United States, had seen thousands of people descend in the streets to protest against racism.
Some demonstrations had degenerated into scenes of looting, and police violence had been denounced, especially in the megalopolis of the American east coast. In early February, a city commission responsible for collecting complaints had recommended disciplinary sanctions against police in 146 cases of violence, abuse of authority or insults.
“Excessive force”
The agreement concluded by the city of New York, which must still be validated by the federal justice, only concerns only a demonstration on June 4, 2020 in the Bronx, according to a judicial document paid Tuesday to the procedure and disseminated Wednesday by media. Police is accused of having used a encirclement technique that day to prevent any movement of the demonstrators, “arrested and charged without legitimate reason, and subject to excessive force”, according to the same document.
In its report, the city’s commission had looked into this case and had listed in particular complaints against “certain police officers rising on vehicles and hitting the demonstrators with battle strokes”, the use of tear gas Without discernment and handcuffs.
Solicited by the France-Presse agency, the New York police replied that these complaints followed “arrests” for “violations of the curfew” then in place at 8 pm and decided by the mayor of The time, Bill de Blasio (Democratic Party), after incidents in previous demonstrations.
The police added that it was “a difficult moment” for his agents, in the context of the COVVI-19 pandemic, and that they “did everything to facilitate the right to expression Pacific, while facing acts of anarchy “. However, she adds having “redesigned” her policy and her training in terms of ordering order during large -scale demonstrations.