De Blasio Signs Chokehold, Police Accountability Bills

NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Bill de Blasio inked six police accountability bills into law as fresh paint dried on a nearby "Black Lives Matter" street mural in the Bronx.

He cast the bills as a serious step forward on police reform — a long-standing, if controversial, goal of his administration.

The six-year anniversary of Eric Garner's death is approaching, he said, shortly before he would sign a bill outlawing the police chokehold that squeezed the life from Garner.

"Let's sign these bills," he said, with a touch of enthusiasm.

But events elsewhere in the city Wednesday showed conflicts remain.

Blood flowed down the faces of NYPD officers apparently attacked by police reform protesters on the Brooklyn Bridge. And at least 37 people caught up in the clash felt the tight metal grip of handcuffs around their wrists.

The incident, along with renewed scrutiny over videos showing NYPD attacks against George Floyd protesters, consumed pro-police and anti-brutality factions across New York City and beyond.

De Blasio, when he spoke in the Bronx, acknowledged police concerns about some of what he was about to sign.

The bills include the chokehold ban, a measure to protect the right of New Yorkers to record NYPD officers, a requirement that police display their badge numbers and other accountability measures.

One shepherded by city Council Member Vanessa Gibson sets up what he called an early warning system for potential problem police officers.

The bill signing can be viewed here: