The most important news story in New York City for nearly a month is being completely ignored by the mainstream media and the corporate owned press. The trial of Lloyd Vs. New York City is putting police racial profiling under a microscope, and could very well bring an end to the police practice of Stop And Frisk. For the last three weeks the trial in Federal Court has been challenging The New York City Police Departments Stop And Frisk policy. The trial is beginning to expose why Stop And Frisk is even in practice.
Testimony from State Senator and former NYPD officer, Eric Adams revealed that the NYPDs' intent is to racially profile and target Blacks and Latinos. Adams testified that he spoke out against the NYPD keeping a database of everyone that was stopped and frisked in 2010. He exposed the fact that police commissioner Ray Kellys' officers stopped and frisked young Blacks and Latinos to set a tone. It is obviously a show of force to instill fear in everyone they stop and harass and unlawfully frisk.
“I heard him on two different occasions indicate that we’re using this policy to instill fear into African-American and Hispanic youth, so each time they leave their home, they feel as though they can be stopped by the police,” Adams said. “I was amazed. I told him that was illegal.”
At a press conference Ray Kelly denied making the statements and considered them "ludicrous".“I think this was an attempt to get me to testify—make an outrageous statement that I would have to get to court to defend. Well, I’m defending it now,” Kelly said.
Also taking the stand was Lt. Fernando Guimares, the supervisor of the officers who stopped David Floyd, one of the plaintiffs. He admitted that his review of officers’ stops was limited to checking to see if the UF 250 form was properly filled out.
More witnesses testified about being stopped by the NYPD, including Kristianna Acevedo and Clive Lino. Acevedo testified that he was stopped by two officers in an unmarked van while Lino said he was stopped in the lobby of his apartment building. During the stop, the officer’s cell phone rang with a 50 Cent ringtone. The officer remarked, “Here’s a little rap for you. It should calm you down.”
This week, attorneys also played the taped secret recordings of Adrian Schoolcraft, a police officer who taped hundreds of hours of precinct roll calls in Brooklyn while he worked on the force.
The tapes—which were later given to the media—reveal that officers were pressured to make stop-and-frisk quotas, which the NYPD denies.
The average Blacks and Latinos need to understand that the police need their consent in order to search their pockets. Anyone being stopped and harassed by police can simply say "I do not consent to a search". If they search you at that point it is officially and Illegal Search and Unreasonable Search and Seizure. Always try to make an attempt to remember at least one of the patrol mans badge numbers- so that a complaint can be filed with The Civilian Complaint Review Board. Also, always try to record the incident with cell phones, video cameras and other devices.
In America progressive ideas always win out in the end. If enough pressure is put on the NYPD and police commissioner Ray Kelly, stop and frisk could very well be abolished.