Photographers File Major Lawsuit Against the NYPD for Civil Rights Violations
The National Press Photographers Association announced this week that it will be joining a major lawsuit filed against NYC and the NYPD for civil rights violations during the Occupy Wall Street protests.
In a statement released Monday, the NPPA cites the case of photojournalist Stephanie Keith, who was arrested twice and harassed while covering the protests. Keith is quoted as saying,
I joined this lawsuit because as a working journalist I’ve been arrested, thrown to the ground, hit with batons and yelled at by the NYPD while doing my job on assignment. I have seen my fellow journalists being treated this way as well. Why should journalists be subjected to trauma inducing harassment on the job?
The plaintiffs are seeking both “compensatory and monetary damages” and the appointment of a independent monitor to ensure that these harassments don’t occur in the future.
Image credits: Photographs of Occupy 24 by Stephanie Keith
