Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Advocates want the NYPD to disband the unit that responds to protests
By
Samantha Max
Published Jan 23, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Samantha Max / Gothamist
By
Samantha Max
Published Jan 23, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Activists Monday rallied outside City Hall to urge officials to shut down the controversial NYPD unit charged with responding to protests.
The group gathered on a cold and rainy morning after the City Council’s Public Safety Committee postponed a hearing on the department’s Strategic Response Group for the second time. More than 100 members of the public had also signed up to speak during the meeting, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union, which has been pushing for an oversight hearing for over a year.
Multiple officials said the reason for the delay is a number of lawsuits pending against the NYPD for its response to the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. Several of those lawsuits are still unresolved, including Attorney General Letitia James’s suit accusing the department of excessive force and two class-action suits brought by NYCLU and the Legal Aid Society.
At an unrelated press conference Monday, Mayor Eric Adams said he "doesn't have a problem" with holding a hearing, but that the City Council has agreed to hold off for now, to avoid compromising any pending litigation.“I think SRG is doing a great job,” he said. "During a time when we are dealing with removing guns off our streets and dangerous people off our streets, we need units like SRG and others to do so."
A City Council spokesperson said the hearing will take place in March and will not be delayed again.
"If I've got to stand out here in the rain to pressure certain electeds to hold a hearing to disband the notorious, violent SRG, then that's what I'm going to do," said Jon McFarlane with the advocacy group VOCAL-New York, flanked by about 40 people on the steps of City Hall.
The SRG launched as a counter-terrorism unit in 2015, but its responsibilities have grown over the years to include parades, shootings, bank robberies and “other significant incidents,” according to the NYPD website.
In more recent months, the unit has sparked criticism for its treatment of counter-protesters outside an abortion clinic in SoHo and a library in Jackson Heights that hosts a “Drag Story Hour” event. Lawmakers are considering a bill that would ban the unit from responding to nonviolent demonstrations.
“I think the public should have an opportunity to hear from people who have been brutalized, as well as hear from the NYPD why they think this is a justified unit,” Councilmember Sandy Nurse said in an interview. She said the SRG arrested her during a rally in Union Square in 2015.
Activists and progressive lawmakers have been asking for more oversight — or even the dissolution — of the police unit for years. The NYCLU launched a campaign to disband the team in 2021.
A police spokesperson referred questions to the city’s legal department, which declined to comment. But in a statement to Gothamist last year, the NYPD called the unit a “critical asset” for the department.
This story has updated to include a comment from Mayor Adams.
Tagged
strategic response group
rally
new york city
public safety
nypd
City hall
Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Man shot and killed on Midtown subway platform Saturday afternoon, NYPD says
Police said they're searching for a person of interest.
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 17, 2026 at 1:16 p.m. ET
Modified Oct 17, 2026 at 3:19 p.m. ET
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
Suspects were driving a Subaru Forester, police said.
By
Ryan Kost
News
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
Suspects were driving a Subaru Forester, police said.
By
Ryan Kost
Being reigning champions is weird for Knicks fans, but we could get used to this.
By
Catalina Gonella
Tompkins Square Park is getting a makeover. Some say it's too much.
By
Willow Higgins
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
By
Rosemary Misdary
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .