An op-ed by attorneys from the Brooklyn Criminal Defense Practice of The Legal Aid Society​ released today in BKLYNER slams the NYPD for propagating racist police tactics against Black and Brown communities under the pretext of enforcing city-mandated “social distancing” restrictions.

The controversial order – supposedly issued by Mayor Bill de Blasio in order to control the infection rate of the virus – has come under fire since it was implemented due to a string of videos depicting violent arrests of non-white New Yorkers.

“As public defenders we know that these recent arrests based on social distancing are nothing but a ruse used by the NYPD to police and terrorize Black and Brown communities, while keeping their arrest numbers high,” they write.

Read the full piece here.