NYPD

04/16/2012
Religious Discrimination

A Look at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

By Dena Sher, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 12:31pm

In 1998, Congress created the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to draw attention to violations of religious freedom in other countries. The commissioners vote annually to list countries that are of particular concern or place others on a watch list of countries that should be monitored closely for religious freedom violations.

But, since its inception, the commission's been beset by controversy. People who watch the commission closely say it was created to satisfy special interests, which has led to bias in the commission's work. Past commissioners and staff have reported that the commission is "rife, behind-the-scenes, with ideology and tribalism." They've said that commissioners focus "on pet projects that are often based on their own religious background." In particular, past commissioners and staff reported "an anti-Muslim bias runs through the Commission's work."

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03/23/2012
NYPD

Is the NYPD Watching You?

By Arthur Eisenberg, New York Civil Liberties Union at 5:26pm

In recent weeks, we've read about NYPD surveillance of student groups, community-based organizations and even small businesses. Press accounts show that the Police Department has spied on people up and down the eastern seaboard, not because they're engaged in wrongdoing, but because of their religion, national origin and their political associations.

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02/27/2012
NYPD Muslim Surveillance

NYPD Used White House Funds to Spy on Muslims

By Ateqah Khaki at 5:19pm

The ACLU and New York Civil Liberties Union are calling for a federal investigation into the reported use of White House funds by the NYPD for its religious and racial profiling activities.

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02/24/2012
NYPD Muslim Surveillance

Associated Press Report Confirms Widespread Secret NYPD Surveillance of Innocent Muslims

By Mitra Ebadolahi, Legal Fellow, ACLU National Security Project at 3:33pm

Yesterday, the Associated Press published the latest in its series of investigative articles documenting the New York Police Department’s sweeping surveillance of Muslims in the years since the 9/11 attacks. The article provides new details of the NYPD’s unchecked religious profiling: informants known within the NYPD as “mosque crawlers” secretly infiltrated houses of worship throughout the city and as far afield as New Jersey in 2005 and 2006. This story is now all too familiar. The NYPD has reacted to the threat of future terrorism by casting a wide net of suspicion over entire communities based solely on their religious beliefs, race, or national origin.

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02/22/2012
Racial Profiling

NYC Mayor Bloomberg Should Investigate Spying and Religious Profiling by NYPD

By Josh Bell, Media Strategist, ACLU at 5:31pm

Today the ACLU and the New York Civil Liberties Union called on New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to investigate religious and racial profiling by the New York Police Department.

In a series of articles, the Associated Press reports the NYPD spied on mosques and Muslim college students far outside New York City, without evidence or allegations of criminal activity. The NYPD surveilled mosques and businesses in Muslim and ethnic communities in Newark and on Long Island, and monitored college students in Pennsylvania and Connecticut, according to documents released by the AP.

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02/08/2012
NYPD

Empirical Study Confirms That American Muslims Do Not Pose a Threat of "Homegrown Terror"

By Nusrat Choudhury, Staff Attorney, ACLU National Security Project at 12:49pm

Today, the N.Y. Times reported that Charles Kurzman, author of a study by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security, concludes American Muslims pose "a minuscule threat to public safety." The report found that 20 American Muslims were charged in violent plots or attacks in 2011, down from 26 in 2010 and 47 in 2009. It also found that not a single murder in 2011 resulted from extremist violence by Muslims in the United States.

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02/02/2012
NYPD

NYC Marijuana Arrests Still Too High

By Rachel Myers, ACLU at 3:43pm

The New York City Police Department made a near-record number of low-level marijuana arrests in 2011, surpassing 2010 and making 2011 the second-most prolific period for marijuana arrests in NYC history. The 50,684 arrest occurred despite the fact that possessing a small amount of marijuana is not a crime in New York unless it is in public view.

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12/08/2011
NYPD

NYPD Pot Arrests Habit Proves Tough to Break

By Jennifer Carnig, New York Civil Liberties Union at 5:20pm

The NYPD has a pot problem. For more than a decade, its officers have made a massive habit of unlawfully arresting New Yorkers for carrying small amounts of marijuana in their pockets or bags. It’s proving to be a tough habit to break, despite NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly’s recent acknowledgment of the problem.

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09/27/2011
Videotaping

ACLU Lens: Wall Street Protest Enters Second Week

By Jennifer Carnig, New York Civil Liberties Union at 6:49pm

For the past 10 days, scores of demonstrators have occupied Zuccotti Park near Wall Street to protest what they believe are entrenched inequities in the nation’s financial system.

In response to the peaceful demonstration, the NYPD has flooded the Financial District with police officers and has erected labyrinths of steel barricades along sidewalks in front of the Stock Exchange and around the famous bull statue on Broadway.

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09/26/2011
Protestors' Rights

NYCLU on the Scene at Wall Street Protests

By Jennifer Carnig, New York Civil Liberties Union at 5:49pm

Inspired by the Arab Spring, a group of a few hundred protesters have occupied a park right off of Wall Street for more than a week, seeking attention for what they call a greedy and unjust financial system.  The staff of the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) has been on the scene talking to protesters, learning about their experiences with police, and passing out Know Your Rights guides on protesting in New York City and on surviving police encounters.

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