NEW YORK, NY – A truce has been agreed upon between city officials, the NYPD and Black Lives Matter in response to police response to violent protests in 2020 in the aftermath of the brutal police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
That protest led to 18 deaths and billions of dollars in damages nationwide, including here in New York City where businesses were vandalized, innocent citizens were attacked and police were targeted.
Adams, alongside New York City Corporation Counsel Sylvia Hinds-Radix and NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, unveiled a new four-tiered strategy for policing spontaneous protests. The approach, part of a legal agreement following lawsuits filed during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, outlines explicit procedures for police engagement, officer training, and arrest guidelines.
Mayor Adams stated the dual focus is on protecting the public while upholding First Amendment rights. “This agreement is the result of a collaborative process that seeks to build consensus, balance safety with justice, and protect protesters, bystanders, and law enforcement personnel,” said Adams.
Corporation Counsel Hinds-Radix emphasized the need for a balance between the freedom to protest and the rule of law, particularly in an era when social media can rapidly mobilize crowds.
NYPD Commissioner Caban recognized the unique challenges officers faced during the summer of 2020, and explained that the new policy aims to address such complexities. “This agreement represents the department’s commitment to continually improving to ensure the public remains safe and individual rights are protected,” said Caban.
The new approach, which involved negotiations among various legal entities, permits NYPD to tailor its responses to specific protest conditions. It blends several law enforcement strategies, such as deploying more community affairs officers to de-escalate situations and using specialized units like the Strategic Response Group (SRG) as needed.
The approach is tiered as follows:
- Tier 1: For peaceful protests, NYPD will accommodate protesters while enforcing traffic laws.
- Tier 2: Additional officers, including the SRG, will be stationed nearby if illegal activity is anticipated.
- Tier 3: Officers will be deployed once there is probable cause that a crime has been committed.
- Tier 4: The protest will be ended when de-escalation and targeted enforcement prove ineffective or when sensitive locations are blocked.
The agreement also establishes a committee that will evaluate NYPD’s handling of 12 protests over the next three years, aiming for continued refinement of these procedures.