NYC LATINO LEADERS SPEAK OUT AGAINST STOP & FRISK ON EVE OF COUNCIL OVERRIDE VOTE
Uptown Electeds Condemn Abuse of Stop and Frisk in Latino Communities
New York, NY-On the eve of the City Council's vote to override Mayor Michael Bloomberg's veto of two policing bills related to stop & frisk, Latino elected officials across the city are standing up in support of reforming this damaging practice. The two bills, intros 1079 and 1080 would create an inspector general to monitor police activity and would make it easier for victims of unlawful and discriminatory stop & frisks to take legal action against the offending officer, respectively.
Now, with an opportunity to make substantive changes to the stop and frisk practice through legislation, members of the Latino community are looking to correct a wrong that has divided communities in New York City for too long.
Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, who is a co-sponsor on both bills and who has been a very vocal critic of the unlawful use of stop and frisk against people of color, spoke about the significance of the two bills: "This is a special time because we have a chance to codify the illegality of racial profiling in New York City, a tactic that has bred resentment against police officers in Latino communities across the 5 boroughs. We as Latinos, like all other communities, want to live in the safest city possible, but we cannot allow our rights as citizens of this country to be perpetually violated. As a group that has contributed so much to this city, we will assert our rights against discriminatory and unconstitutional stops and instead work constructively with our police officers to lower crime in a responsible way. I am voting to uphold these bills and override the mayor's veto because he is out of touch with the realities communities like my own face on a daily basis and because we need real reform of the stop and frisk practice. His children will never be stopped and frisked, or accused of 'fitting a description' but this is something I will have to worry about with my own two daughters, or many others in my family and that is wrong."
"Stop and frisk has not made our communities safer-if anything, it has instilled bitter resentment in the victims of this policy, said NYS Senator Adriano Espaillat. It has repeatedly strained relationships between law enforcement and minority communities, and impeded the cooperation that is critical for ensuring my constituents' safety. Stop and frisk tactics have violated the rights of hundreds of thousands of Black and Latino New Yorkers, and now the federal court system has confirmed this injustice. It's time to abandon this ineffective and counterproductive doctrine permanently."
"Stop and Frisk has been abusive tactic that has plagued black and Latino communities for years, and yet has proven to be both ineffective and costly for the city, said Assembly Member Gabriela Rosa (D-Washington Heights). It is estimated that over 4 million people have been subjected to stop and frisk and that the overwhelming majority of those stopped have been blacks or Latinos, and 9 out of 10 of them are ultimately proven innocent. If the current administration refuses to face these facts, it is time for the City Council to act by passing the Community Safety Act which will end discrimination and racial profiling tactics while also establishing independent oversight of the NYPD."
As was decided last week by Federal Court Judge, Shira Scheindlin, the manner in which the NYPD has utilized the stop and frisk tactic is unconstitutional as it is in violation of the 4th and 14th amendments of the United States Constitution.
While Mayor Bloomberg has appealed this ruling, it is indicative of what many New Yorkers have felt for a long time. With over 4.4 million during Bloomberg's tenure, close to 88% of which yielded no arrests or contraband, 89% were carried out on Blacks or Latinos.
Additionally, according to a report by the Public Advocate based on 2012 data from the NYPD, whites were found to be carrying illegal items with much greater frequency than Blacks and Latinos. Officers found illegal drugs or weapons on white persons every 49 stops, while for Latinos and Blacks, it took 71 stops and 93 stops respectively. This speaks to the flawed logic used by mayor Bloomberg who has stated that minorities in NYC should be stopped even more. (See article here: http://www.upi.com/blog/2013/05/22/NYPD-report-Whites-more-likely-to-carry-drugs-and-guns-than-minorities/8601369249255/)
In addition to these Latino officials, all but one Latino City Council Member have voted to pass the two bills and are expected to do so tomorrow in the override vote.
