New York’s Attorney General is suing the New York City Police Department, claiming it quashed this past summer’s protests for racial equality using “mass arrests, excessive force, and other unlawful efforts,” according to a lawsuit filed Thursday. “There is no question that the NYPD engaged in a pattern of excessive, brutal, and unlawful force against peaceful protesters,” Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “With today’s lawsuit, this longstanding pattern of brutal and illegal force ends.” James is seeking to establish an external watchdog for the NYPD. According to NY1, this marks the first time in New York State history that the attorney general has sued its largest police department.
