NYPD’s drone surveillance sparks civil rights violations

Well, I hope you had a fun and safe Labor Day. So while many of us were taking in the holiday Well, the New York City Police Department was arguably trampling our privacy rights. The largest police department in the United States made clear that it would be employing drones to monitor backyard gatherings this past holiday weekend. Now, I don’t know how you feel about being subjected to surveillance via drone, but I’m convinced the courts need to shut this down ASAP. The police are not employing this tactic to advance public safety. They’re using drones to trample the civil liberties of marginalized people, particularly those who are black and brown. And this is evident from the circumstances surrounding the NYPS decision to pilot the drone program. What are those circumstances? Well, we only learned about the drone surveillance plan at a security briefing last week on a celebration of the emancipation of enslaved Caribbean’s that’s coming up, as well as the West Indian American Day Parade. Yeah, so basically, the NYPD announced that it’s going to be using drones to look into people’s backyard parties in response to anticipated celebrations about the emancipation of black people. Of course, the assistant commissioner to the NYPD says that the department is simply, you know, making preparations in anticipation of complaints about large gatherings that extend beyond the parade route. Yeah, that’s quite interesting, as is the fact that the NYPD didn’t publish their plans of using this new surveillance technique 90 days in advance of using it. Yeah, because 90 days is the amount of notice that’s required under New York City’s post Act. The police department knew that they had to provide 90 days notice, but they simply chose not to because they flout the law. One thing they definitely seem to stick to, however, is trampling civil rights. And the mayor of New York City seems to support it. Mayor Eric Adams, who also happens to be a former police captain says that he fully embraces the endless potential of police using drones. At what point is he going to embrace the reality that this type of aerial surveillance is intrusive? The police will be looking into our backyards, our bedroom, Windows, and all else from a vantage point that what only birds previously enjoyed? How is that acceptable? How is that constitutional? How does it not violate the Fourth Amendment by being an unreasonable search and seizure? Don’t we have privacy rights? Or did they just fly out of the window because of technological advancements? I say, No, we still have these rights in place. The US Supreme Court, of course has yet to say anything on it. And in the meantime, apparently law enforcement is saying that they don’t give a damn. Then again, why shouldn’t they? It’s we the people who are the ones who have to pay to settle the litany of lawsuits against law enforcement for violating individual civil rights. They really have no skin in the game. So while the NYPD surveilled us from all angles. We’re left watching our civil rights die and democracy with it.