(2005-09-02) Nyclu Repub Convention Report

The NYCLU issued a report criticizing the NYPD for its behavior during the Republican Party National Convention. The performance of police was decidedly a mixed one. While hundreds of thousands of people were able to make their voices heard, the right to protest was severely undermined by the mass arrests of hundreds of peaceful demonstrators and bystanders, the pervasive surveillance of lawful demonstrators, and the illegal fingerprinting and prolonged detention of nearly 1,500 people charged with mostly minor offenses. This compromised their Constitutional right to protest.

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly denied the claims.