This afternoon, the family of Shereese Francis, a 30-year-old woman with a diagnosed mental illness, held a press conference at 1 Police Plaza demanding accountability for her death at the hands of police officers on March 15th. A disoriented Francis suffocated in her Jamaica, Queens home as officers attempted to handcuff her—they had been called to the home by her family, who had requested medical attention. Francis was apparently frightened and confused when officers arrived at her home and pleaded for them to leave while threatening to "call the cops." more ›

Dozens of protesters gathered in Foley Square this afternoon and marched to 1 Police Plaza to demand that Police Commissioner Ray Kelly tender his resignation. The protest was spurred by the string of violent arrests made by the NYPD as protesters attempted to reclaim Zuccotti Park on the six-month anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street protests. "This beast will lock you up because you are poor, because you are queer, because you are black," Chino Hardin of the Center for NuLeadership said. Though no arrests occurred, the Mayor's personal army greeted protesters with an imposing presence of officers and barricades surrounding the plaza. more ›

Yesterday, Vito Fossella led a protest in Staten Island against the building of a mosque two blocks from the World Trade Center site. The Staten Island Advance, which says it was peaceful, reports the former Congressman (who left office in disgrace), said, "We made promises to be the voices of those that died on September 11, 2001. A mosque on that site undermines the efforts to ensure that that hollowed ground remain sacred." more ›

News organizations that have desks at NYPD headquarters at 1 Police Plaza downtown were told they need to get out by July 31. Why? Because the NYPD wants to make room for a new Joint Command Center. [UPDATE: The NYPD has changed its mind! Update below.] more ›

WNBC reports that on Wednesday, a "laid off construction worker left a backpack" on Pearl Street near the federal courthouse and Manhattan Correctional Center. But don't worry: It doesn't seem terror-related! U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia describes the suspect, Denis Nekrasov, 28, as a "homeless immigrant from Kyrgyzstan who had past training in math, physics and mechanical engineering. " If you read the complaint (PDF), you find that he saved the explosive materials from construction sites in hopes of making his own gun. Nekrasov had gone to 1 Police Plaza to apply for a gun-making permit and left the backpack outside since he knew he couldn't bring it inside. And when Nekrasov went to pick up his bag, authorities were waiting and he admitted his homemade gun scheme, but it was "in case he needed to protect or defend himself from others." more ›

The AP reports that three residential co-ops are suing the NYPD over its plan to build a "high-tech command bunker" at 1 Police Plaza. The residents believe that the bunker "must undergo environmental and land use reviews," but the NYPD says no review is required, plus there's "no change to the exterior or its existing footprint." Another issue residents are concerned about it traffic that construction will bring--1 Police Plaza is just north of the Brooklyn Bridge exits. Chinatown has been hit hard by the closure of Park Row after September 11, and one resident adds that the NYPD "should be moving critical functions away [from] densely populated" areas. more ›

The Daily News laments how, in spite of Mayor Bloomberg's promise to turn off lights in city buildings to conserve energy, many buildings are still glowing at all hours--even on Earth Day! more ›