Travis Gosa, professor of Africana studies and social science at Cornell University and a member of the Cornell Center for the Study of Inequality, comments on today’s ruling from a federal judge ordering reforms to the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk practices.
Gosa says:
“The decision issued Monday by Judge Shira A. Scheindlin in Floyd v. City of New York confirms what is obviously wrong with NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy. Under the guise of fighting crime, the NYPD’s unconstitutional practices have terrorized, humiliated and demeaned millions of innocent Black and Latino citizens, while further eroding trust between the police and communities of color.
“Judge Scheindlin’s decision also calls attention to the use of stop-and-frisk to reinforce racial segregation in New York, as racial profiling has the effect of creating modern day ‘Sundown Towns.’ To avoid police harassment, young men of color learn to stay in their place and avoid some parts of the city.
“While the decision falls short of outlawing all uses of stop-and-frisk, the ruling does mandate increased oversight and efforts to improve relationships between the police and communities. Hopefully, the decision will empower members of the NYPD to get back to real police work, instead of handing out tickets in order to meet a quota system of stops.
“The decision is a victory for all New Yorkers, and for all Americans who value the rule of law and civil liberties. Likewise, outrage over stop-and-frisk should serve as a teachable moment for the Obama administration, whose surveillance program carried out by the National Security Agency similarly erodes public trust.”
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