NEW YORK — A woman arrested during a protest in SoHo is now suing the NYPD, claiming officers targeted her because she was protesting police.
It comes as the city is handing out record settlements over allegations of police misconduct. CBS News New York’s Ali Bauman first reported on the protest in question and now breaks down the lawsuit.
Jordan Neely’s Protest
In May 2023, chaos broke out at protest over death of subway performer Jordan Neelyand at the time the lack of charges against Daniel Penny, the marine veteran seen on camera strangling him.
The NYPD said officers found a Molotov cocktail in the crowd and made several arrests that nightincluding Kimberly Bernard.
“I remember being specifically pointed out, singled out, targeted and arrested. I asked several times why I was being arrested. It was not explained to me,” Bernard said.
Bernard is now suing the NYPD for $2.5 million, demanding policy changes for the police department.
“People who protest, particularly when it comes to standing up for the lives of Black people, I think have faced a lot of reprisals and disproportionate treatment for a long time,” Barnard said.
The lawsuit alleges that police initially arrested Bernard for terrorism-related offenses — crimes. The prosecutor eventually charged her with obstruction and trespassing, offences that were later completely withdrawn.
“This is a tactic to label people as outside agitators, to accuse people of violence,” attorney MK Kaishian said. “So whether the NYPD and city officials agree with the content of the speech or not will determine how they engage with protesters on these issues.”
NYC spends tens of millions settling lawsuits over alleged police misconduct
Bernard’s lawsuit is now the culmination of a series of ongoing lawsuits.
On Monday, the Legal Aid Society released data showing that New York City spent $82 million this year settling lawsuits alleging misconduct by the New York Police Department.
“We are currently on track to potentially raise over $140 million, the most in years,” said attorney Jennvine Wong.
Some of the lawsuits paid out this year are based on allegations against police dating back decades.
“These complaints are essentially canaries in a coal mine and the administration needs to take a hard look at the police culture and why it appears to encourage and protect officers who engage in misconduct,” Wong said.
CBS News New York contacted the NYPD about Bernard’s allegations, but referred them to the city’s law department, which said it would investigate the complaint once the city was notified.
Ali Bouwman
