Community Leaders, Plaintiffs to Stop-and-Frisk Lawsuits Announce Process for Impacted Communities to Formally Participate in Court-Ordered Reform Process That Can Help End NYPD Abuses

As stop-and-frisk/NYPD abuses continue to impact New Yorkers, forums across NYC and online engagement launch to advance lasting solutions from communities through court-ordered reforms

New York City elected officials joined Communities United for Police Reform (CPR), community organizations from across the city and plaintiffs in the multiple stop-and-frisk-related federal class action lawsuits to launch a public engagement process seeking the participation of communities and New Yorkers impacted by NYPD abuses in the lawsuits’ resulting court-ordered reform process. The public engagement effort – entitled “Our Communities, Our Solutions” – is intended to involve affected communities in the formal process to develop enduring reforms to stop-and-frisk and other NYPD abuses subject to court-ordered reform and monitoring.

“Our Communities, Our Solutions” will consist of town hall forums organized by community groups in neighborhoods across the city over the next month, and an online engagement portal at www.CommunitySolutions.nyc, with a survey on reforms beginning on Monday, November 7. The first town hall is tomorrow evening in Queens.

“New Yorkers and communities whose rights have been violated by stop-and-frisk and other NYPD abuses have been forced to endure them for far too long,” said Mark Winston Griffith, a spokesperson for Communities United for Police Reform and the Executive Director of Brooklyn Movement Center. “Our communities are more than just numbers, and in order to ensure meaningful reform that is long-lasting occurs will require solutions and oversight from our communities. Stop-and-frisk and NYPD abuses have not ended and will not be resolved until the city prioritizes community solutions. It’s why we are launching “Our Communities, Our Solutions” as a series of town hall forums and online engagement to facilitation the participation of the communities and New Yorkers who have been directly impacted by these NYPD abuses for decades, and urge people to join the conversation towards reform.”

Despite a decline in the number of total stop-and-frisks reported by the NYPD, New Yorkers continue to face abusive and unconstitutional stops in the streets, as well as racially discriminatory policing abuses in public housing and private buildings. There have been misleading claims that the issue of unconstitutional stops and related abuses have been solved, but the court-ordered reform process remains underway with significant reforms still needed. True reform doesn’t come from just decreased numbers of recorded stops – it requires systemic changes to policies and practices that advance accountability to ensure lasting reforms that prevent police abuses.

The court-appointed monitor’s reports have indicated that the NYPD has struggled to comply with rules, with the NYPD’s own audit showing officers not consistently or correctly documenting stops. In the documented stops, disparities remain for who is subjected to stops and the overwhelming majority of stops do not result in arrest or summons. In the first 2 quarters of 2016, 83% of those stopped were Black or Latino, and 77% of stops resulted in neither arrest nor summons. In 2015, 83% of those stopped were Black or Latino, 80% of stops resulted in neither arrest nor summons, and less than 1% of stops resulted in the recovery of a gun. In 2014, 80% of those stopped were Black or Latino, 80% of stops resulted in neither arrest nor summons, and less than 1% of stops resulted in the recovery of a gun.

The federal court decision that found the city’s stop-and-frisk practices unconstitutional was not simply about the number of stops, but was focused on New Yorkers being stopped – and sometimes frisked – without legal justification. The court-ordered collaborative remedial process is intended to address these NYPD abuses with communities, law enforcement and other stakeholders to develop reforms and solutions that end these violations to New Yorkers’ civil rights. The process is critical to ensuring there are lasting reforms, beyond just the decrease in the number of stops conducted, to protect the fundamental civil rights of New Yorkers. The input of affected communities, which “Our Communities, Our Solutions” is intended to yield, must be essential in developing reforms. Communities continue to experience daily abuses, can define and identify effective solutions, and are best positioned to judge whether lasting changes are taking place in their neighborhoods.

In August of 2013, a Federal court ruled that the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk practices were guilty of a pattern and practice of racial profiling and unconstitutional stops in its decision on Floyd v. City of New York. As part of that ruling, the court also issued a decision on the remedial relief for Ligon v. City of New York, a class action lawsuit challenging Operation Clean Halls – part of the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk program that allows officers to patrol thousands of private apartment building across the city. Despite the attempts by the Bloomberg administration and police unions to appeal the ruling and delay the implementation of the court’s joint remedy process, the process began after the de Blasio administration reached an agreement with the plaintiffs to drop the city’s appeal and the unions’ efforts failed. The settled Davis v. City of New York, a class action lawsuit against the New York City Housing Authority and the City of New York for unlawful and racially discriminatory stops and arrests of NYCHA residents and visitors for trespassing, also become part of the court-ordered reform process.

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“The Joint Remedial Process is one of the few, transparent processes directly impacted community members like myself, can actually participate in to create greater oversight and accountability over the NYPD, which all New Yorkers need,” said Will Depoo, a leader with DRUM, which is hosting the first town hall forum in Queens on Thursday, November 3. “This whole process is part of the long fight of many people organizing and struggling to protect everyone's rights.”

Foster Maer, Senior Litigation Counsel for LatinoJustice PRLDEF said: “NYC’s Latina/o residents expect the NYPD to fulfill its obligation to serve and protect them, but unfortunately know all too well from their own personal experiences of their failure to do so. These upcoming community forums hosted by CPR will provide all NYC residents a critically important opportunity to identify such failures and how best to remedy them. LatinoJustice PRLDEF encourages all Latina/o NYC residents to attend and voice their experiences and concerns at these community meetings, in order to ensure the NYPD serves the community, and not the other way around.”

Johanna Steinberg, Director of Impact Litigation at the Bronx Defenders stated: “The plaintiff-assisted forums are an integral part of the court-ordered reforms and are necessary to address the ongoing problem of unconstitutional stop-and-frisk practices in New York City. It is imperative that the voices of those most affected by these harmful practices are heard in this process to ensure the remedies are meaningful and have credibility.”

Molly Kovel, Senior Staff Attorney at NYCLU stated: “Stop-and-frisk may be down in the city, but a legacy of mistrust and pain continues. We can’t begin to create a new era of policing that works for all without hearing from the communities most impacted. The community forums announced today offer an important way to start a robust conversation about how to heal the city’s wounds.” 

Council Member Ritchie Torres said: “It is important for New Yorkers from all walks of life to participate in a JRP forum in order to have a say in how NYPD tactics are reformed. Forums will be held throughout the City, and participants' input will be considered in the remedies process as it moves forward.”

Tina Luongo, Attorney-in-Charge of the Criminal Practice at Legal Aid Society stated:  “The Legal Aid Society wholeheartedly endorses the Community Forums organized under the leadership of CPR. As Judge Scheindlin wisely observed: ‘If the reforms to stop and frisk are not perceived as legitimate by those most affected, the reforms are unlikely to be successful. Neither an independent Monitor, nor a municipal administration, nor this Court can speak for those who have been and will be most affected by the NYPD's use of stop and frisk.’”

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About Communities United for Police Reform: Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) is an unprecedented campaign to end discriminatory policing practices in New York, and to build a lasting movement that promotes public safety and policing practices based on cooperation and respect– not discriminatory targeting and harassment. CPR brings together a movement of community members, lawyers, researchers and activists to work for change. The partners in this campaign come from all 5 boroughs, from all walks of life and represent many of those unfairly targeted the most by the NYPD. CPR is fighting for reforms that will promote community safety while ensuring that the NYPD protects and serves all New Yorkers.