A group of women sued New York City for making them take off their hijabs for mug shots. On Friday, the women's lawyers and supporters said that the city would pay $17.5 million to settle the case.
More than 3,600 people who are part of the class action case will be able to get between $7,000 and $13,000 in payments. This is almost four years after the cops decided to change their stance on religious head covers.
The federal judge in charge of the case has to agree to the deal.
Albert Fox Cahn, executive head of the lobbying group Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, said, "This is a big step forward for New Yorkers' religious and privacy rights." "The NYPD should never have taken away these religious New Yorkers' veils and respect." The attack went against everything our city says it stands for, not just their rights.
Aziz and Clark filed a case against the city on March 16, 2018, saying that cops made them take off their hijabs for mug shots. The two women were named as participants in the class action case, which is about searches that took place in the city from March 16, 2014, to August 23, 2021. Police nabbed Clark for making up a protective order against her violent husband, according to court records. She said the NYPD told her they would bring charges against her if she did not take off her scarf. As per court records, an NYPD cop took a picture of Clark while she cried and begged to put on the covers again.
"When they forced me to take off my hijab, I felt as if I were naked, I am not sure if words can capture how exposed and violated I felt," Clark said in a post. "Today I am so proud to have helped thousands of people in New York get justice." I was right all those years when I said taking off my hijab for a mugshot was wrong. This deal shows it. I hope that no one else in New York ever has to go through what I did.
In a statement, Afaf Nasher, Executive Director of CAIR-NY, said, "We send our thanks to the Muslim women who bravely persisted with this litigation, which led to a policy change that will help many others who have similar religious clothing requirements."
Court papers say that the NYPD changed its policy in 2020 so that all arrestees could keep their religious head covering unless they were in a few specific situations.
More than 3,600 people who are part of the class action case will be able to get between $7,000 and $13,000 in payments. This is almost four years after the cops decided to change their stance on religious head covers.
The federal judge in charge of the case has to agree to the deal.
Albert Fox Cahn, executive head of the lobbying group Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, said, "This is a big step forward for New Yorkers' religious and privacy rights." "The NYPD should never have taken away these religious New Yorkers' veils and respect." The attack went against everything our city says it stands for, not just their rights.
Aziz and Clark filed a case against the city on March 16, 2018, saying that cops made them take off their hijabs for mug shots. The two women were named as participants in the class action case, which is about searches that took place in the city from March 16, 2014, to August 23, 2021. Police nabbed Clark for making up a protective order against her violent husband, according to court records. She said the NYPD told her they would bring charges against her if she did not take off her scarf. As per court records, an NYPD cop took a picture of Clark while she cried and begged to put on the covers again.
"When they forced me to take off my hijab, I felt as if I were naked, I am not sure if words can capture how exposed and violated I felt," Clark said in a post. "Today I am so proud to have helped thousands of people in New York get justice." I was right all those years when I said taking off my hijab for a mugshot was wrong. This deal shows it. I hope that no one else in New York ever has to go through what I did.
In a statement, Afaf Nasher, Executive Director of CAIR-NY, said, "We send our thanks to the Muslim women who bravely persisted with this litigation, which led to a policy change that will help many others who have similar religious clothing requirements."
Court papers say that the NYPD changed its policy in 2020 so that all arrestees could keep their religious head covering unless they were in a few specific situations.
