NEW YORK (AP) — A police officer testified Wednesday that he taunted a potential suspect — who turned out to be an innocent 13-year-old — after he detained the boy under the New York Police Department’s disputed program of stopping, questioning and frisking people on city streets.
Called as a witness in a civil rights case in federal court in Manhattan, Officer Brian Dennis conceded that he had told a handcuffed Devin Almonor to stop ‘‘crying like a little girl.’’
Asked on cross-examination if he thought the comment was appropriate, Dennis responded, ‘‘Looking back, no.’’
The Center for Constitutional Rights brought the lawsuit on behalf of four black plaintiffs who claim they were stopped by police because of their race. The center alleges that many of the 5 million stops in the past decade, mostly of black and Hispanic men, were made without cause.
Police officials say stop and frisk is a legal crime-stopping tool that has helped drive crime down to record lows.
Related: Sunday Globe Special: Gun Control Confusion
Who wouldn't be?
New York City saw the fewest number of murders in 2012 since comparable record keeping in the 1960s, and other major crimes are down to record lows, too....
Honestly, you wouldn't know that from the mind-manipulating mass media focus.
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Related: NYC expects 2012 to have fewest murders on record
See? Stop and frisk works!
"Trial over N.Y. stop-and-frisk tactic to begin" Associated Press, March 18, 2013
NEW YORK — The New York Police Department’s practice of stopping, questioning, and frisking people on the street is facing its biggest legal challenge this week with a federal civil rights trial on whether the tactic unfairly targets minorities.
Police have made about 5 million stops of New Yorkers in the past decade, mostly black and Hispanic men. The trial, set to begin Monday, will include testimony from a dozen people who say they were targeted because of their race and from police whistleblowers who say they were forced into making slipshod stops by bosses who were too focused on numbers.
I guess racism is acceptable is some instances.
Also see: NYPD Whistleblower Suspended and Sent to Psychiatric Ward, Report Reveals
American police now “Israeli-DHS trained,” precursor to dictatorship
Now the behavior makes sense.
‘‘When we say stop, question, and frisk, we’re not talking about a brief inconvenience on the way to work or school,’’ said Darius Charney of the Center for Constitutional Rights, the lead attorney on the case. ‘‘We’re talking about a frightening, humiliating experience that has happened to many folks.’’
US District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin, who has said in earlier rulings that she is deeply concerned about stop-and-frisk, is not being asked to ban the tactic, since it has been found to be legal. But she does have the power to order changes, which could bring a major overhaul to how the police force and other departments use the tactic.
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"Trial challenging NYC’s stop-and-frisk policy opens" Associated Press, March 19, 2013
NEW YORK — Many of the 5 million New Yorkers stopped, questioned, and sometimes frisked by police in the past decade were wrongly targeted because of their race, said lawyers Monday for four men who contend they were illegally stopped.
New York Police Department lawyers countered that officers must go where the crime is — and the crime is overwhelmingly in minority neighborhoods.
A civil trial that began Monday in federal court in Manhattan will examine the controversial tactic that has become a city flashpoint, with mass demonstrations, City Council hearings, and mayoral candidates calling for reform.
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"Witness at stop-and-frisk trial recounts police encounter" by Colleen Long | Associated Press, March 20, 2013
NEW YORK — A 24-year-old nonprofit worker wept on the witness stand Tuesday as he described an unnerving episode of being handcuffed near his home while an officer took his keys and went inside his building.
Powerful testimony.
Nicholas Pert, who is black, is one of about a dozen New Yorkers expected to tell their stories of being stopped, questioned, and frisked by police in a federal trial challenging how police use the tactic. About 5 million stops have been made during the past decade, mostly of black and Hispanic men.
The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of some of the stops, with lawyers arguing the policy unfairly targets minorities.
City attorneys said officers operate within the law and do not target people solely because of their race. Police go where the crime is — and crime is overwhelmingly in minority neighborhoods, city lawyers said....
If I typed that the same voices would be hollering racist at me -- and I'm advocating the end of these policies.
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Took longer than I thought.
Time to get on the subway:
"Judge tosses out transit ID checks
NEW YORK — A federal judge has invalidated a New York City transit system rule that allowed police officers to demand identification documents from anyone riding the subway. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by two vintage train aficionados who were stopped by the police while taking photographs at a station in Queens. Both men had been cited for ‘‘unauthorized photography.’’ That citation was later dismissed."
Yeah, maybe you better stay off the subway.
You New Yorkers are forgiven if you feel you woke up in Nazi Germany today.
Time to get on the subway:
"Judge tosses out transit ID checks
NEW YORK — A federal judge has invalidated a New York City transit system rule that allowed police officers to demand identification documents from anyone riding the subway. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by two vintage train aficionados who were stopped by the police while taking photographs at a station in Queens. Both men had been cited for ‘‘unauthorized photography.’’ That citation was later dismissed."
Yeah, maybe you better stay off the subway.
You New Yorkers are forgiven if you feel you woke up in Nazi Germany today.
