A City Council member and a city aide say they were pushed around and detained by police at the West Indian Day Parade because of their race.
Councilman Jumaane Williams and Kirsten John Foy spoke Tuesday outside City Hall.
They said they were accosted by officers while walking along a blocked-off sidewalk.
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Both men, who are black, say they tried to show their city IDs to officers but their efforts were ignored.
Foy says an officer knocked him to the ground and pushed his face into the grass.
Williams says he thinks it happened because he is a “35-year-old black man with dreadlocks.”
Earlier today, the National Action Network called for disciplinary action against the officers who detained Williams and Foy at the West Indian Day Parade.
In a statement Tuesday, the Rev. Al Sharpton’s group condemned the “forceful arrests” of both men.
It says both men have worked for the group on issues related to police misconduct and racial profiling.
A Williams’ spokesman said the Brooklyn representative was stopped Monday as he walked along a blocked-off sidewalk after being given permission to walk there by a police official. He was then stopped by other officers and a confrontation ensued. No charges were filed.
No charges were filed. The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
With AP.