S.T.O.P. Condemns NYPD Drone Surveillance Of BLM Juneteenth Celebration

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For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Condemns NYPD Drone Surveillance Of BLM Juneteenth Celebration (New York, NY 6/20/24) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, condemns the use of drones to surveil an annual Juneteenth celebration in the Bronx hosted by Hawk Newsome, a leader of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York. NYPD halted the celebration under Eric Adams’ orders, citing a delay in Newsome’s application for a permit. The civil rights group condemned NYPD’s racist pattern in deploying drones to surveil Black activists and holiday celebrations hosted in Black communities. SEE: New York Daily News - BLM activist claims permit for Juneteenth event blocked by Mayor Adams, who says it flouted rules https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/06/19/mayor-blocked-permit-for-juneteenth-celebration-blm-activist-claims-adams-says-rules-not-followed/ CBS New York - War of words after NYPD halts Bronx Black Lives Matter's Juneteenth celebration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDO72yk_v1g “It is no coincidence that NYPD deployed drones to surveil J’ouvert parties last fall and now Juneteenth,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Communications Director Will Owen. “NYPD has a clear pattern of anti-Black racism in its use of surveillance to target holiday celebrations among Black New Yorkers, and this is yet another example of the department surveilling Black Lives Matter activists. It’s highly concerning how quick the Mayor is to support drones under any circumstance, including on a day commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.” SEE: S.T.O.P. Blog – NYC is becoming a drone dystopia https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2024/4/9/nyc-is-becoming-a-drone-dystopia Last fall, the civil rights group condemned NYPD’s deployment of drones to surveil J’ouvert and Labor Day backyard parties connected to West Indian American Day events in Brooklyn. In 2021, S.T.O.P. joined Amnesty International in suing NYPD for records on its use of surveillance at the historic 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, which NYPD continues to reject even after a court order demanding they comply. SEE: The New York Times - N.Y.P.D. Will Use Drones to Monitor Labor Day Celebrations https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/01/nyregion/drones-labor-day-nypd.html S.T.O.P. – Amesty International NYPD Protect Surveillance Lawsuit https://www.stopspying.org/ai-protest-surveillance-lawsuit The New York Daily News - Why is the NYPD hiding its surveillance of BLM? https://www.nydailynews.com/2022/10/14/why-is-the-nypd-hiding-its-surveillance-of-blm/ The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. 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. --END-- CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. Copyright © 2021 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved.