New York, NY – Tuesday evening, June 9, roughly 1000 New Yorkers gathered at City Hall for a rally and march organized by Justice Committee and the families of many of those killed by the NYPD. The rally featured a mix of speakers and cultural performances.

The families involved centered the action around these main demands: Defund the NYPD; fire all officers who have killed our loved ones; repeal Bill 50a; and pass the PoliceStat Act and the Bailey-Perry special prosecutor bill.

The families have since won all of the legislative demands – the New York state senate passed the bills over the past three days. The passage of the PoliceStat Act and repeal of 50a both provide more transparency and data on police killings. 50a had previously blocked access to many NYPD disciplinary records. The Bailey-Perry bill will now require a special prosecutor for all cases dealing with police killings regardless of whether or not the victim was armed.

These victories were not simply handed over to the people by New York’s elected officials. They are the direct result of an intense week of protests in the streets, and years of organizing work before that. While these are small reforms, they represent the power of the people when we organize and rise up.

#NewYorkNY #PoliceBrutality #PeoplesStruggles #NYPD #Bill50A