The city and police violated demonstrators' free speech rights, used excessive force, arrested protesters on dubious charges and interfered with journalists' and council members' efforts to observe what was going on, the four City Council members and others say in the federal civil rights suit.
The four lawmakers — Letitia James, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Ydanis Rodriguez and Jumaane Williams — said they felt they needed to pursue avenues beyond City Hall to address their growing concern.
"We need accountability, we need relief and we're not going to just sit idly by," Williams said.
The council members' involvement in the Occupy suit helps dramatize its argument that police oversight is so ineffective it warrants a court-appointed monitor. The officials want an independent eye to review all of the more than 2,000 Occupy-related arrests and to explore the sometime closures of Zuccotti Park and some other public spaces.
Their criticisms range from a police official's much-discussed use of pepper spray on penned-in protesters in September to the temporary removal of demonstrators from Manhattan's Union Square in March.
The city Law Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has defended police handling of the protests.
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