New Video Series Highlights Effects Of Stop & Frisk In Flatbush
Weeks after the New York Daily News cited the 70th Precinct as having the largest number of stop-and-frisks without summonses or arrests, Communities United for Police Reform (CPR), a group dedicated to changing the face of NYPD policies and practices, has released a video series that shows the effects Stop and Frisk has on different members of a community–namely, Flatbush.
The Daily News’ report says 93.9% of the roughly 11,000 people stopped in the 70th Precinct were released without even a summons. Kasiem Walters, the 17-year-old featured in the Where I am Going series, is a walking statistic, having been stopped eight times in the past four years. The fear instilled in him as a result of the stops has not only penetrated his everyday life, but has also had such dire consequences as Kasiem deciding not to call the police after being robbed.
“You wake up now,” Kasiem says, “and you’re like, ‘Am I gonna get stopped? Maybe I should wear something so I don’t get stopped. Maybe I shouldn’t wear a hoodie.’ If I see cops, it’s like, ‘Should I cross the street? I don’t want them to think I’m suspicious. Should I stay on this street and get harassed by them?’ And that’s something that you shouldn’t have to be paranoid about.”
Kasiem says he believes the practice doesn’t keep people safe, as the police are supposed to do — instead he feels it alienates the public from the cops and closes potential lines of communication.
CPR wants to pass the Community Safety Act, which would cover reform of stop and frisk (which has been shown to be used disproportionately in minority communities) and instating an Inspector General for the NYPD. The End Discriminatory Profiling Act and NYPD Oversight Act were both passed by City Council in late June, before being vetoed by Mayor Bloomberg — but there is still a chance to override his decision.
So, are you in support of the Community Safety Act? Does Kasiem Walters’ experience make you feel differently? And do you feel more safe or less safe as a result of police practices in our area?
Image via New York Daily News