New York Attorney General Letitia James says the Saratoga Springs Police Department, along with a top city official and the then-mayor, unconstitutionally retaliated against Black Lives Matter protesters.
The report says those protests that began in May 2020 — following George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police — were peaceful, and that “although they could be raucous,” there was no evidence any people or property were harmed.
Per the report, then-Mayor Meg Kelly and Public Safety Commissioner Robin Dalton ordered Police Chief Shane Crooks to both arrest protesters at a July 14 rally and open a child protective service investigation against Lexis Figuereo, one of the leaders of the protest.
The inquiry against the mother of Figuereo’s children was unfounded.
Twelve protesters were arrested almost two months after the July rally for minor offenses. All those charges were later dropped.
Saratoga Black Lives Matter is expected to comment on Thursday.
Kelly released a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
“The statements contained in the Attorney General’s report that I was not fully cooperative with the inquiry are patently false," she said. She released her attorney's letter to the AG's office, responding to the report.