Activists and Politicians Spoke on Organizing Against Stop-and-Frisk

Residents of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill crowded the meeting hall at Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church Tuesday evening for a community forum on the future of stop-and-frisk.

The evening began with a short series of introductions and brief statements by members of the panel, including Public Advocate-elect Letitia James; the director of the Police Reform Organizing Project Robert Gangi; lead counsel for the Center of Law and Social Justice, Joan Gibbs; president and cofounder of BKNation, Kevin Powell; and Center for Constitutional Rights attorney, Chauniqua Young.

Much of the conversation centered on recent developments including Bill de Blasio’s election last week and the decision by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to send Floyd v. the City of New York back to the lower courts.

“Let me say that the stop-and-frisk policy is a flawed policy that sowed the seeds of distrust in communities of color and has frayed relationships all throughout the city of New York and this nation,” James said. “The city council passed a package of bills primarily because we wanted to prevent the NYPD from using immutable characteristics as a means for suspicion.”

James said that these bills barred the NYPD from using race, religion, national origin and sexual orientation as a basis to stop individuals as well as reform the policy by requiring officers to identify themselves and obtain consent to a search without a warrant. The bills were passed by the city council, overriding a veto by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. He later sued the council for overreaching their authority by proscribing changes to criminal procedure law.

“I will argue that informing individuals as to why they are stopped, providing basic information such as the police officer’s name and badge number and explaining the reasons for the stop should be part of that progressive agenda,” James said.

Other members of the panel said that it was important to remember that stop-and-frisk is a symptom of broader social issues. Gibbs said that it was crucial to situate stop-and-frisk in the context of a broader struggle and to keep fighting, even though de Blasio has indicated he will end the practice.

“We need to ensure that de Blasio repeals stop-and-frisk by keeping the pressure on,” Gibbs said. “Just voting for people isn’t enough. We have to hold people to their promises.”

As the panel closed the discussion, two local representatives joined the table: State Senator Velmanette Montgomery and City Council Member-elect Laurie Cumbo. After a brief introduction, the floor was opened to questions from the audience.

Thoughts from the audience varied. A resident of Clinton Hill, Joe Gonzalez, 44, suggested that the police commissioner be changed from an appointed position to an elected one. Another recalled her experience at the march for Trayvon Martin this past July, chiding organizers for not taking advantage of the energy in the moment and channeling it towards bigger goals.

Other members of the community had questions for the panel. Mark Apollo, 51, wanted to know more about the city council’s vote on reforming stop-and-frisk.

“Why do you think there wasn’t as large a response once the vote happened?” Apollo asked. “Why wasn’t there more of a public outcry about it?”

“In my honest opinion, most people weren’t aware of it,” Powell said. “We have to have ongoing follow-up work.”