Achieving Civil Rights in the Face of Stop & Frisk Abuses
There are pundits who place the US Civil Rights era between
the years 1955 and 1968. This placement
suggests the struggle for civil rights for African-Americans and other hyphenated
Americans was just a 13-year ordeal. Is
this actually the case? Can national
ancestors such as Mississippi NAACP leader Medgar Evers rest easy, assured that
their bloodshed brought franchise, fair deals and justice?
“Much has changed for the better since Mr. Evers’s brutal
death 50 years ago—but there is also much we can still learn and put in use
from the brave life he lived”, reflects St. Senator Eric Adams (D, WF) 20 SD. “Certainly, if he were alive today, he would
be at the front lines against the abuse of Stop and Frisk…Yes, this City would
do well to consider his courage and continue the fight against inequality and
injustice that still exist today.”
The Senator speaks with authority regarding the flaws of the
NYC Police Department’s procedure officially named Stop, Question and
Frisk. Prior to gaining the NYS Senate
seat, he was a NYPD Captain in central Brooklyn. He distinguished his police
career by co-founding 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care with several other
peace officers. Since taking his NYS
Senate office in 2006, Adams has kept an eye on NYPD activity. A visit to his State Senate website reveals
his dedicated attention to local police matters. There is a downloadable 23-slide presentation
entitled Stop, Question and Frisk
Procedure in the ‘Report’ section.
This slide show gives the objectives of Stop, Question and Frisk; the
procedure for carrying it out; and the four scenarios when a police officer can
conduct Stop, Question and Frisk. Using
2009 Center for Constitutional Rights’
findings and statistics, the State Senator makes a strong case that the
procedure “has unmerited focus on African-American and Latino youth; the
required reporting is not being followed; and the negative impact it has on
youths of color’s psyche and criminal record.” The slide show purports “Of the
four scenarios when a police officer should execute the practice, the
overwhelming scenario is to fulfill quotas or gather names for the NYPD
database”.
It appears that Stop, Question and Frisk flies in the face
of civil rights. When queried about the realities of
Stop Question and Frisk the State Senator posits, “Protecting New Yorkers and
protecting their civil rights do not have to be competing interests. We must give our law enforcement the tools
they need to keep us safe. The abuse of
Stop and Frisk is not useful in preventing crime. In fact, it sours communities against working
with police and that means crucial information isn’t shared to stop violence
before it can occur. The practice must
be reformed to better meet the necessary standard of reasonable suspicion, to
remove discrimination, and to ensure more criminals and fewer innocents are
targeted for Stop and Frisk.” His study
and assessment of Stop, Question and Frisk is comparable to Medgar Evers’s work
and concerns. Evers was shot in his back the early morning of June 12, 1963.
Currently the front runner in the race for the Brooklyn
Borough President’s Office, Adams stands to win the election in September. Should he win he will not only be New York
City’s first African American in the seat and but be the first police officer
in several decades. How will he make his
mark as the BP serving all of Brooklyn? Adam
says, “This is a pivotal moment for Brooklyn.
We have become very popular in recent years but that hasn’t meant a
better quality of life for everyone. I
want to turn our popularity into prosperity for all. The BP must have a unifying vision for the
borough that brings all Brooklynites together to make Brooklyn the best it can
be.”
Labels: African Americans, black interest, civil rights movement, community, discrimination, NYC, NYC politics, NYS Senate, Stop and Frisk, urban
Are Occupy Wall Streeters the New Civil Rights Activists
The first day in November had a group of protesters and local media converge on Brownsville for a
Stop Stop and Frisk protest rally and march to the 73rd Police Precinct. The rally was held underneath the busy, noisy Rockaway Avenue #3 train station. Key spokespeople included Revolutionary Communist Party, USA's
Carl Dix and MADRE Vice President Margaret Ratner-Kunstler.
The protest group was small and the absence of Brownsville residents was too apparent. Juxtaposed to the assembly were sky-reaching NYCHA buildings. Where were Brownsville residents in this struggle to stop police brutality? Had the police effectively intimidated the community? The answer is NO.
Key community organizations and churches hadn't been contacted so that they, in turn, could notify their members or neighbors. It appeared as if residents became aware of Stop Stop and Frisk as it unfolded. Three young men who said they were from the neighborhood agreed to talk in front of a camera, if one came their way. A young woman News 12 reporter stated she had enough footage and thought "it is more important that young whites came to Brownsville for this protest than to interview people from the neighborhood."
One media relations spokesperson(young, tall white man)explained that the handbills for this event had been distributed within the apartments in the NYCHA building. The question is who passed them out? New York City is a racially-polarized city. New York's communities of color are in the throws of a 20-year housing displacement process and look circumspectly at most whites visiting their neighborhoods. The majority of New York victims of police brutality are black and Latino men. It is quite possible that if white or Asian people were handing out the paper in the building, residents may have discarded them without consideration. Yes,
kill the message because of the messenger.
The speakers were inspiring, one young man recounted his brush with stop and frisk which resulted in brain injury and confiscation of his identification. Carl Dix apologized for Cornell West's absence. He explained that Brownsville had the highest incidence of Stop and Frisk in the five boroughs. He later stated that "The young people here are today's Freedom Riders...or a new generation of Freedom Riders."
So this is what the News 12 reporter wanted to capture. Dix affirmed that this Stop Stop and Frisk demonstration was the start of others throughout the five boroughs.
The march soon commenced. In tow was a colorfully, fashionable wheel-chair bound woman who identified herself as the "Mayor of Brownsville." She expressed disappointment in her neighbors' low turnout. However, things picked up as the group drummed and chanted up Rockaway Avenue to Pitkin Ave, then a turn on Bristol Street to reach the 73rd Precinct at Bristol and East New York Avenue. The community looked with interest, accepted the handbills and some joined the march. There was a police escort from start to end.
The police set up a corral for marchers who didn't want to be arrested. Many that initially went within the corral soon exited in favor of standing farther away from the precinct's doors. Thirty people were arrested and put in police wagons to places unknown within a half-hour. The police, then made a human wall and walked slowly down the sidewalk to sweep away the remaining assembly. As the body turned down Bristol to return to the corner of Livonia and Rockaway, a zealous young white man shouted "F?#@ the police!" A black man told him, "Hey, don't[don't do that]on their turf!" No sooner had the advice been given than the police arrested the man who cursed.
The march back was punctuated with chanting and handbill passing. Mimi Rosenberg, Legal Aid Society lawyer and WBAI program host was in the crowd. Rosenberg had quietly advised people against going in the corral in front the police precinct. The march birthed a new social activist. A young girl, escorted by two women, had held a poster, chanted and marched with much enthusiasm. This is but one important outcome: people need to develop self-assurance and a sense of community ownership at a young age. Margaret Ratner-Kunstler made concluding remarks before the group dispersed. Ratner-Kunstler stated the thirty arrested protesters may have been taken to the 77th Precinct. This was confirmed by someone in the crowd that recognized one 77th Precinct community affairs officer.
Labels: Brownsville, Occupy Brooklyn, Occupy Wall Street, Stop and Frisk
