Court of Appeals Hearing Monday April 22 at 10 am

Monday, April 22 at 10 am
Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse
40 Foley Square
17th Floor, Room 1705
New York, NY, 10007
Map to the courthouse

We urge arrestees and their supporters to attend the oral argument of the Brooklyn Bridge mass arrest case at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit hearing on Monday April 22.

As you know, U.S. District Court Judge Jed S. Rakoff ruled on June 7, 2012 in favor of the protestors in this case. Judge Rakoff found that NYPD officers are subject to civil liability for causing the mass arrest of over 700 protestors on the Brooklyn Bridge.  The NYPD filed an appeal seeking to overturn Judge Rakoff’s ruling.

The PCJF filed a major brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in response to the NYPD’s effort to overturn Judge Rakoff’s ruling. In its brief, the PCJF defends the lower court ruling that found no reasonable police officer could have made thearrests, given the absence of fair warning to the vast majority of those arrested. The PCJF argued that Judge Rakoff’s ruling was proper, and given the video evidence, it is clear that police led and escorted the marchers across the roadway of the bridge and, having done so, could not lawfully conduct the arrest without giving notice or warning to the protestors, and then could only have arrested persons who were willfully defiant of lawful police orders (if there were any).

Please note that if you are planning to attend you should arrive early so as not to enter during proceedings. You also need to leave time to first pass through security when you enter the building. 

The brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit can be read by clicking here.

The Class Action Complaint, Garcia v. Bloomberg can be read by clicking here.