The Legal Aid Society released the following statement today condemning the New York City Police Department (NYPD) violence towards the Queer Liberation March for Black Lives and Against Police Brutality this past weekend.
Peaceful protesters took to the streets on Sunday – New York City’s Pride – to resist white supremacy and police violence and to celebrate the LGBTQ+ leaders who resisted these same systems of state oppression and violence 51 years ago.
However, instead of being permitted to express Pride, they were met with pepper spray and physical assaults by the NYPD. These attacks by the NYPD are part of a broader pattern of silencing protest since the murder of George Floyd on May 25 and provide further impetus for the urgent need to defund the NYPD.
“Seeing the videos and the images from the NYPD attack that occurred during Queer Liberation March that took place on June 28th, 2020, are utterly heartbreaking. The fact that these videos and images are eerily similar to the Stonewall Uprising that occurred 51 years ago, is simply not okay.
These attacks that occur against people of color, as well as against the LGBTQIA+ community, is why we want to defund the police. We will continue to fight for the people within our LGBTQIA+ community, as well as for black and brown communities, who continue to be targets of police violence,” said Marissa Kubicki, who identifies as a lesbian staff member and is a Licensed Master Social Worker in Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Practice (pronouns she/her/hers).