The Legal Aid Society and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court today against the City of New York, the New York City Police Department (NYPD), and named and unnamed NYPD officers on behalf of five plaintiffs who were unlawfully arrested and detained on low-level offenses instead of receiving an appearance ticket as prescribed by law during the George Floyd demonstrations last summer, reports the Washington Post.

This lawsuit petitions the Court to enjoin the NYPD from continuing to violate the law, award compensatory damages to Plaintiffs, and other relief as the Court deems just and proper.

“The law is clear, but the NYPD still overwhelmingly refuses to issue appearance tickets for low-level offenses, instead, processing New Yorkers — the majority from Black and Brown neighborhoods — through the legal system,” said Marlen Bodden, Staff Attorney with the Criminal Defense Practice’s Special Litigation Unit.