Stop and Frisk. SJ Dodgson. MJOTA 2012 v5 n1 p0618
According to the New York Police Department (NYPD) website: "When a police officer reasonably suspects that a
person has committed, is committing or is about to commit a felony or a
Penal Law misdemeanor, the officer is authorized by NYS Criminal
Procedure law 140.50 to stop, question and possibly frisk that individual. This frequently asked question is also available in the following
languages: Spanish, Russian, Korean, Italian, French Creole and
Chinese."
Stop and
frisk: huge march through New York yesterday to protest it. Looked like a
lot of good people were protesting violation of their human rights, and
they believed they were being violated.
I don't know whether they were, but if they believe they were, then I believe them.
To
me, the story is odd. I have had some interaction with the NYPD myself
and from Commissioner Ray Kelly down, they are a highly diverse group,
trained in defusing danger in New York and abroad.
NYPD
uniformed officers are a diverse multi-racial group of professionals.
From what they have told me, most police officers are veterans of Iraq,
and Afghanistan, certainly all uniformed officers that I have spoken
with have been veterans.
And you know I have spoken with a lot
of NYPD detectives, officers and African liaisons socially at parades
and with being hit on the face with my camera, trying to get Lookman
Sulaimon out of jail, being sued for $20million, being served and
serving restraining orders and being arrested for sending out a Mother's
Day greeting.
I
have long been interested in police forces, because they are there for
security, to make sure the rule of law is accepted. I support their
existence, and very much want them to have the tools they need to
succeed.
When I first went to Nigeria in July 2007 I came into
contact with uniformed officers quickly, they flagged down the car
transporting me to the School of Pharmacy at Unilag. The driver was
Osagie Edoro-Ighalo, who managed to rapidly get the 2 officers to argue with each other.
I
had to bite down hard on tissues to stop myself laughing, I know never
to laugh at men with guns. They stopped us to get money, but all the
papers for the car were in order and they were no match for Osagie.
He
drove another 500 yards, and was stopped again by a female officer who
demanded he drive immediately to the police station. He spoke to her in
her own dialect, and suddenly she was flirting with him. A second
attempt at extortion thwarted.
During later visits to Nigeria I
have been a guest in the house of the police commissioner of Lagos for 2
days, and I have stopped in to chat with the police commander of Ikeja
headquarters. I have also chatted with police officers, who have
explained that they do not get a living wage, and they take their job in
protecting lives and property seriously, but absolutely rely on "gifts"
from citizens. The police commander told me that 20 years ago he was a
United Nations police officer in Asia, and he has not come close to
earning as much in Nigeria. For constantly updated news from Nigeria, click here.
I
know the salaries for NYPD officers are good, and that stopping cars to
shake down motorists for money is rare, or never happens. The stop and
frisk policy is an attempt to stop murders and hold-ups. The problem
that was being addressed by the march is that citizens believe that
anyone of African origin is seen as a likely carrier of guns, and a
likely perpetrator. My people are being profiled.
Bed Stuy
Vollies EMT had a run-in with police last year, a young man was tasered
and tortured when he had no criminal intent. I was told he had to dunk
his head in the toilet to ease the pain, no other water was available. I
saw a picture of him after this: his face was swollen. Bed Stuy Vollies
click here.
I know the young man. He races out when New Yorkers need EMT, even when Haiti needed EMT. Constantly updated news from Haiti click here.
Does NYPD have a few bad eggs? I call for NYPD review of officers' records for full lists of their arrests, and violations.
|
|
Left, New York City Councilmember Jumaane Williams. He has never seen a fight for justice that he could run away from. This photograph I took of him at the 26th anniversary of CACCI at Medgar Evers College in Crown Heights in Brooklyn. Mr Williams is the son of Grenadians, and CACCI members went to school with his parents. And are friends with his mother in Brooklyn today. They have told me. CACCI is very proud of Mr Williams.
Mr Williams is young and tall and strong and has the enormous ability to mobilize the community. He is a leader in the fight against Stop and Frisk.
|
COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS' STATEMENT REGARDING THE 2012 NEW YORK CITY MURDER STATISTICS
BROOKLYN, NY, April 5, 2013: Council
Member Jumaane D. Williams (D-Brooklyn), co-chair of the Council's Task
Force to Combat Gun Violence, released the following statement
regarding statistics released by the Bloomberg administration on murders
in New York City last year. 419 people were homicide victims in 2012.
Of particular note were the facts that 71% of those killed had
prior arrests, while 87% of known suspects had at least one prior
arrest.
"As
the co-chair of the Task Force to Combat Gun Violence, I am pleased to
see fewer New Yorkers murdered in our City. This is a product of good
police programs, implemented by the Bloomberg Administration, like
Impact Zones and Operation Crewcut, both of which are effectively
targeted at the sources of violent crime. It also speaks to the
importance of our neighbors and local community groups standing up and
being engaged against violence in their streets.
"The sheer
number of murder suspects with prior arrests on their records further
convinces me that there is no excuse for this Administration's stop,
question and frisk policy that blankets the community instead of going
after criminal behavior.
Once again, NYPD statistics have shown there to
be no correlation with weapon recovery, shootings or
murders. Strategies based in quotas or lazy policing are ineffective
and corrosive to police-community relations, an essential component
of public safety.
These statistics, provided by the Mayor himself, show
us all that we need to shift to a model where focused deterrence,
community policing and a significant increase in positive resources for
our youth help bring us safer streets for all New Yorkers."
|
|
