For Immediate Release
Civil Rights Groups Welcome NYC Council Vote On NYPD Surveillance Reforms
Advocates say that after three years, passage of the POST Act is overdue
(NEW YORK, NY, 6/5/20) –Today, a coalition of civil rights groups welcomed New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson’s announcement that the Council would vote on the POST Act, a NYPD surveillance reform bill. The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), National Action Network, Legal Aid Society, Empire State Indivisible, National Lawyers Guild, and Brennan Center for Justice reiterated their support for immediate passage of the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (“POST”) Act, which would require the NYPD to post a privacy and use policy for every surveillance system it uses in New York City. Advocates say the POST Act is even more critical given escalating surveillance of protesters.
“More NYPD surveillance means more deadly police encounters for New Yorkers of color,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “We’re grateful to Speaker Johnson for standing with us in fighting for NYPD reform. Today, NYPD surveillance often is no better than digitized stop-and-frisk. These programs are biased, broken, and deeply damaging to a democratic society. At a time when more than a dozen cities have enacted surveillance reforms that are far stronger than the POST Act, the NYPD can’t give one good reason to oppose this modest transparency reform.”
“The National Action Network applauds the NYC Council Speaker Johnson for bringing this important bill to the table to be voted on,” said National Action Network NYC Field Director Derek Perkinson. “We seek transparency across the board, and this moves the ball in the right direction. Still much more to do.”
“We applaud Speaker Johnson for scheduling a vote on the POST Act,” said Legal Aid Society Digital Forensics Supervising Attorney Jerome D. Greco. “Now more than ever, it is apparent to the public that transparency around the NYPD's use of electronic surveillance is a bare minimum necessity. We can no longer allow the NYPD's methods to remain clandestine and without public oversight."
“As a grassroots organization focused on holding our government officials accountable, we are thrilled to see the POST Act come to a vote,” said Empire State Indivisible. “As technology increases and improves, the public will need to be engaged with our officials to find the right balance of public safety and privacy, and our group is committed to staying in this fight. Transparency drives accountability, and this level of transparency in the NYPD's surveillance capabilities is well overdue.”
“The recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Tony McDade set this country ablaze with protests for change,” said the National Lawyers Guild’s Erica Johnson. “People want the police to be held accountable for their actions as no one is above the law. This is a sign that our city is not only moving in the right direction but also standing on the right side of history.”
"We are grateful to City Council Speaker Corey Johnson for his leadership in calling a vote on the POST Act," said Brennan Center for Justice Counsel Ángel Díaz."In a time where New Yorkers are coming together to protest the overpolicing of communities of color, it’s essential that we have oversight and accountability over surveillance tools to prevent an era of digital stop-and-frisk."
Civil Rights Organizations also testified before the Council’s Public Safety Committee in December 2019, calling on the City Council to quickly pass the POST Act. NYPD representatives were also present for the hearing, testifying in opposition.
SEE Post Act Hearing Prepared Testimony
https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/View.ashx?M=F&ID=7981044&GUID=A6F14F63-67A7-43BA-B67D-4DC52D2C1F42
Post Act Hearing Transcript
https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/View.ashx?M=F&ID=7989137&GUID=E5087ADA-07E3-49C6-86D2-DF292E6F0B25
The POST Act is co-sponsored by 32 of the 51 New York City Council members and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. The bill has also been endorsed by the City Council’s Progressive and Black, Latino/a, and Asian Caucuses, the New York Times Editorial Board, and a coalition of 70 civil rights and community-based organizations.
SEE: POST Act Overview Website
https://www.postact.org/
San Francisco Banned Facial Recognition. New York Isn’t Even Close.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/18/opinion/nypd-post-act-surveillance.html
Sign-on letter from 70 organizations supporting the POST Act
https://stopspying.org/post-act-letter
Sign-on letter from 42 organizations supporting the POST Act
https://www.stopspying.org/post-act-letter-may-2020
The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider hosted by the Urban Justice Center. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color.
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CONTACT: Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn;
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