The New York City Council voted Thursday to end qualified immunity for police officers, which protects them from being sued or liable for misconduct.
The measure was passed as part of a package of police reform bills, and it makes New York the first city to end qualified immunity. City Council Speaker Corey Johnson pointed out that qualified immunity was "established in 1967 in Mississippi to prevent Freedom Riders from holding public officials liable even when they broke the law."
Johnson added, "Rooted in our nation's history of systemic racism, qualified immunity denied Freedom Riders justice and has been used to deny justice to victims of police abuse for decades. It should never have been allowed, but I'm proud that we took action today to end it here in NYC."
