The legendary civil rights lawyer Frederick K. Brewington, Esq. has been tapped to become the President of the National Police Accountability Project (NPAP) in November.
“NPAP is a legal, policy, and civil rights organization working to build a future free from police violence, while seeking justice for those harmed by the existing system,” explained Lauren Bonds, the group’s Executive Director. ”That’s the work Fred Brewington has done across Long Island, with tremendous success, for four decades. Police in Nassau and Suffolk counties can no longer abuse members of their communities and expect to get away with it. Brewington changed that. And now, with his leadership of the National Police Accountability Project, the rest of the country stands to benefit.”
“It is an honor and privilege to have been selected as the next President of the National Police Accountability Project,” Brewington said. “On a national scale, the organization has made great progress in the police accountability space. I am energized and prepared to continue this work and collaborate with the brilliant minds of our membership and our extremely talented and dedicated staff, by being ever present to shed light on questions of police accountability and elevating the conversation so that NPAP continues to lead on the national scene. Our nation is at a critical point in regard to police abuse of authority, disregard of basic civil and human rights, and governmental transparency, and I know NPAP will take these issues up and be on the forefront of this important movement of police reinvention and reform.”
Brewington achieved justice and a $35 million jury award for the family of Kenny Lazo, who was beaten to death by Suffolk County police during a traffic stop in 2008. He held the Nassau County Police Department accountable when they failed to enforce an Order of Protection for Jo’Anna Bird and set the stage for her murder at the hands of a man they should have arrested at least six times. The $7.7 million settlement agreement included a change in departmental policy to protect future victims.
In 2020, Brewington worked with community members to form Long Island Advocates for Police Accountability, Inc. (LIAFPA), a non-profit organization putting forward community-led solutions for public safety after the police murder of George Floyd. “The County of Nassau and the County of Suffolk have failed to take any real action to make things better with regard to policing,” Brewington said when announcing the group. “So what we say is ‘If you’re not going to act, and you’re not going to lead, we’re going to show you the way.’”
Over the last two years, federal immigration agents have adopted the tactics of unaccountable police, using increasingly dangerous and abusive methods in the enforcement of civil immigration laws, violating civil rights, and even killing members of the public. NPAP and Mr. Brewington answered the call to action, conducting training in civil rights litigation around the country and filing individual cases.
The work continues in 2027, as NPAP remains focused on holding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) accountable; combatting police surveillance technology; expanding access to attorneys for people living in “civil rights legal deserts”; improving transparency in policing, jails, and prisons; and supporting and protecting partners in the movement ecosystems.
Brewington is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany and Northeastern University School of Law. He is admitted to the bars of the Supreme Court of the United States of America; the United States Court of Appeals in the First and Second Circuits; numerous U.S. District Courts; and the States of New York and New Jersey.