Public Advocate Launches Campaign, Website To Reform NYPD Stop-And-Frisk Policy

New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio is collaborating with organizations and public officials across New York on a campaign to lower the excessive amount of stops-and-frisks in New York, and the coalition has now launched a website and petition to bring the practice to a halt.

BloombergActNow.com is the online destination to educated New Yorkers about the policy, and provide a rallying point and petition source to urge the NYPD and mayor’s office to reform stop-and-frisk activities.

According to Anthony Baker the Public Advocate’s office, every 36 seconds another New York pedestrian is stopped and frisked. Additionally, he believes that these practices have damaged the sense of trust between the residents of New York and the local police.

Public Advocate de Blasio says these factors and statistics call for immediate action.

The Public Advocate started his campaign by calling on Mayor Michael Bloomberg to produce an Executive Order that will decrease the amount of unjustifiable stops. His office has drafted a petition in order to gain supporters and further encourage Bloomberg to act.

The campaign hopes to engage 100,000 New Yorkers through a series of events that can help bring about a reduction in the amount of stops in New York.  These events include the petition for Bloomberg, town hall meetings in the five boroughs of New York where the issue of stop-and-frisks will be discussed, as well as other outreach efforts. Participants in the campaign are also encouraged to head to their local community board, block association, or civic group and encourage them to adopt a resolution against stops and frisks.

What do you think of the city’s stop-and-frisk policy? Is it helping reduce crime? Or is it fostering distrust between communities and the NYPD?