Judge Upholds Settlement Over NYPD’s ‘Kettling’ Protest Control Tactics

NYPD to halt ‘kettling’ and compensate BLM protesters in groundbreaking settlement.

NYPD officers arrest a protestor during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in New York City on May 28, 2020. Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

A federal judge in New York has dismissed objections raised by the city’s largest police union against a settlement reached by the New York Police Department (NYPD) last year over its controversial “kettling” tactic employed for crowd control during protests.

U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon, appointed by President Bill Clinton, issued a 41-page opinion on Wednesday, clearing the settlement and denying the motion brought by the Police Benevolent Association (PBA) to reject it.