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Today, LDF submitted testimony to the New York City Council regarding potential deployments of National Guard members and the increased presence of federal law enforcement in New York City’s local communities. LDF is deeply concerned about the harm that militarized federal law enforcement activity is already inflicting on residents, and about potential harm that may occur in the near future. LDF’s testimony includes strategies that the New York City Council can take to protect residents, including: 

  • Pass Int. 798, the bill to abolish the NYPD Gang Database
  • Protect First Amendment rights by passing Int. 1176 (the CURB Act).
  • Strengthen the City’s sanctuary status by passing Int. 214 (The NYC Trust Act). 
  • Pass legislation to limit surveillance technology and local participation in federal law enforcement operations. 

Recent deployments of National Guard troops and federal law enforcement have devastated local communities around the country. The City Council must ensure that the NYPD and local institutions are not weaponized by the federal government in the event of increased federal intervention.

Read LDF’s full testimony here.

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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation’s first civil rights law organization. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957 — although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.

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