老澳门开奖结果

When the Occupy Wall Street movement ignited last fall, there was no shortage of disturbing press reports about NYPD misconduct toward the demonstrators. We've all read stories about the NYPD鈥檚 abuses鈥攖he of hundreds of protesters from Zuccotti Park, the of 700 people on the Brooklyn Bridge, the of peaceful protesters.

While OWS has faded somewhat from the media鈥檚 daily attention, the police misconduct continues with alarming frequency. Though it鈥檚 rarely reported, nearly every day NYPD officers harass and intimidate protesters. Their behavior seems designed to make exercising the right to protest in New York City as unpleasant and frightening as possible and is, moreover, a tremendous waste of scarce public resources.

and our team of dedicated volunteer legal observers have logged hundreds of hours on the streets monitoring the NYPD at protests large and small throughout the city. Today, we launched : a webpage that documents the NYPD鈥檚 unrelenting, under-the-radar surveillance and harassment of protestors.

Wherever OWS protestors go, the NYPD follows in droves with officers training video cameras on the faces of peaceful protestors. NYPD officers often seem intent on being the only people who document their activity鈥攐fficers prevent reporters from covering protests, block and seize cameras, and even arrest credentialed journalists. We鈥檝e seen dozens of officers in full riot gear trailing small groups of peaceful protestors. The show of force is so overwhelming that officers often dwarf the number of protesters.

Many people remember the steel barricades that surrounded Zuccotti Park for months. (Those barricades were finally removed after the NYCLU, Center for Constitutional Rights, and National Lawyers Guild ). But what many may not realize is that the NYPD continues to erect barricades in locations where they expect protesters will assemble or protest, snarling pedestrian traffic near protest sites and creating inhospitable cages for free speech and assembly.

We鈥檝e also witnessed the NYPD arrest protestors for acts that are an everyday occurrence on any busy New York City block, and rarely result in arrests of the general public. We鈥檝e seen officers arrest protesters for stepping momentarily into a street, 鈥渏aywalking,鈥� and reading poetry too loudly (). Officers also arrest protestors for nothing at all, perfectly content to take protestors into custody and have the charges later dismissed鈥攁s they were against an NYCLU legal observer who was .

Even more common than arrests, however, are the ways in which NYPD officers simply harass protestors. The NYCLU has witnessed the NYPD surround protesters and force them to walk down blocks with no opportunity to exit and no explanation as to what is going on. Officers make protestors comply with an ever-changing list of ad hoc rules, such as ordering protestors to 鈥渟top signing鈥� while taxi horns blare near Union Square midday, telling protestors sharing a dinner in a public park to stop 鈥減assing out food,鈥� and telling protestors both "no signs on the ground" and "no banners in the air.鈥�

The aggressive policing of OWS-related protest is not just a problem in New York City. In fact, 老澳门开奖结果 offices from Hawaii to Oakland to Denver have observed similar incidents, including the selective enforcement of minor offenses. This week, those who care about free speech and the costs of the NYPD鈥檚 low-profile war against public protest are making sure this misconduct gets the attention and accountability it deserves. Yesterday, a consortium of law schools released 鈥�,鈥� a comprehensive indictment of the NYPD鈥檚 policing of the OWS protests. Among many important recommendations, the report calls for a revised NYPD policy that respects the First Amendment, and the speedy passage of the bill currently pending at City Council鈥攂oth measures which the NYCLU wholeheartedly endorses.

Today, the NYCLU announces the launch of the FSTA webpage, shining a constant light on the NYPD鈥檚 aggressive policing of protest. The webpage launches with four FSTA reports covering our observations from March 17, 2012 to June 17, 2012. Follow our and feeds to learn when we post a new report, so you can see what we are seeing on the streets and help us to continue to call for accountability and for respect of the right to protest in New York City.

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