As progressive and liberal as New York is, it is by no means a city devoid of administrative and law enforcement corruption. In fact, when you pull back the spirited, cultured blanket many of us live under, you will discover a long history of political misconduct. While NYC has achieved great strides in becoming one of America’s safest big cities, there remains a tragically disenfranchised segment of our population that is unduly targeted by corrupt law enforcement policies; policies that too often criminalize those who have not engaged in criminality; policies that prosecute petty criminals as if they are criminal masterminds; policies that too often let the real bad actors off the hook. In the name of stopping crime in a city that has undergone dramatic reductions in crime over the last 30 years, NY law enforcement policies stridently keep members of certain communities under their repressive heel, even when these individuals show no propensity toward criminal behavior. 

People from all walks of life came together on April 27, 2017 to raise their voices in opposition to the raids and other law enforcement tactics that are devastating immigrant, minority, and poor communities around New York. From City Hall to the US Attorney’s office to the Metropolitan Correctional Center, the people of New York City once again stood in resistance and in solidarity.

A select few of these images are also part of my ongoing “Faces of Change” photo project which you can view here.