Sow, et al. v. City of New York, et al.
Senior Researcher | Multimedia Video

In 2020, thousands of civil rights demonstrators protested against police brutality following the death of George Floyd. Over several months, the NYPD responded with widespread force, resulting in hundreds of individuals being injured, jailed, or otherwise harmed. In response, the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) formed the BLM/Floyd Litigation Task Force to file a class action lawsuit against the City of New York. The evidence provided by the NYPD during discovery included police body cam and helicopter footage, as well as documentation from protesters, totaling over 6,000 video assets. These were used to categorize four types of constitutional violations: improper use of batons, improper use of pepper spray, excessive use of force, and kettling.

Kettling, as defined by the Cambridge Dictionary, is a method of crowd control where police form lines around a crowd to prevent people from leaving a particular area. Due to the spatial complexities involved in visually demonstrating this tactic, several methods were employed to show the widespread use of kettling during this period.

Aerial footage was the most straightforward method to demonstrate the NYPD’s tactics, as it provided an overhead perspective that made it easier to visualize the gradual formation of kettles by delineating groups from above. To depict kettling from the ground level, a four-channel synchronized video presentation, accompanied by three-dimensional mapping, was utilized.

After these materials were presented to the defense, along with materials related to the three other constitutional violations, an out-of-court settlement was reached.

Manhattan Bridge - Kettling | Video

Protest 77, Washington Square Park, Map of Area | 3D Render

Synced 4-Channel Video | Screenshot