About Democracy for NYC
Democracy for NYC (DFNYC) is committed to the ideals espoused by Democracy for America, the organization founded by Howard Dean, and the national network of local coalition groups dedicated to the same.
We work both locally and nationally to ensure that fiscally responsible and socially progressive candidates are elected at all levels of government. We develop innovative ways to advocate for the issues that matter to our members and support legislation which has a positive effect in our communities. We promote transparency and ethical practices in government. We engage people in the political process and give them the tools to organize, communicate, mobilize, and enact change on the local, state, and national level.
You can download our bylaws here.
Updates on N.Y.P.D. Mosque Surveillance Program
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- Published Date
- Written by Tracey Keij-Denton
- Category: Community
- Hits: 22979
In the fall of 2013, after an AP article that reported that the N.Y.P.D. was designating entire mosques as terrorist organizations in order to conduct widespread surveillance, we started a joint petition with DFA against this violation of basic civil liberties.
At this page here at the DFNYC website, we will post updates on the Muslim surveillance issue, as a human right violation of this nature can often be a one-day news story that later loses attention. We endorsed Mayor de Blasio in 2013 in part because of his principled stance on improving police community relations, and we intend to work with other advocacy groups to help make this happen.
There is some good news! The N.Y.P.D. is disbanding that particular unit. Also, there are federal civil rights law suit in both New York and New Jersey.
NY Times article: NYPD Disbands Muslim-focused Surveillance Unit
NJ Lawsuit:
Law 360 article re earlier 2012 surveillance issue: NJ Muslims Tell Third Circuit (Federal Appeals Court) that NYPD Spying Caused Real Harm
WNYC article about dismissal of suit by the federal district court in Newark: http://www.wnyc.org/story/fed-judge-throws-out-nypd-spying-lawsuit/
New York Lawsuits:
A federal judge in NYC dismissed a 2012 civil rights suits against N.Y.P.D. targeting of Muslims. But a suit filed in 2013, Raza v. City of New York is still active.
http://amsterdamnews.com/news/2014/feb/27/federal-judge-throws-out-lawsuit-challenging-nypd-/
Contact Information
| Email: | info -at- dfnyc.org |
A local coalition group of Democracy for America since 2004
Democracy for NYC (DFNYC) is committed to the ideals espoused by Democracy for America, the organization founded by Howard Dean, and the national network of local coalition groups dedicated to the same.