By Communities United for Police Reform
Photos: Communities United for Police Reform\YouTube Screenshots
New York, NY New York, NY – Tuesday, the New York City Council held a public safety committee hearing on the NYPD’s unconstitutional use of stop and frisk and other illegal investigative encounters. The hearing also featured discussion on the implementation of the How Many Stops Act (HMSA). HMSA is a police transparency bill enacted in 2024 that requires the NYPD to collect and publicly release data on all NYPD street stops, investigative encounters and consent searches. HMSA is the law of the land, yet – at the close of this first reporting period (July-September 2024) – a preliminary analysis of the data shows alarming racial disparities and raises questions about the nature of individual police-civilian encounters that may be obscured because of NYPD’s aggregate data reporting.
“Thanks to the How Many Stops Act, we know that – in spite of Black and Latine New Yorkers making up about 73% of the population in Washington Heights – they made up 85% of those targeted for level 1 stops and 97% of those targeted for level 2 stops last quarter. Some think these so-called low-level stops are just minor inconveniences, but when it happens to you all the time, when you’re constantly hearing about it happening to your neighbors, and when you know that the worst case scenario is that they escalate to loss of life, it causes constant fear and anxiety. That’s what my community feels,” said Samy Feliz, brother of Allan Feliz who was killed by the NYPD in 2019, and member of the Justice Committee.
“Full transparency from the NYPD is critical to public safety. HMSA’s purpose is to paint a full picture of NYPD street encounters with civilians. The NYPD’s report from the first period after HMSA’s implementation is revelatory, but still not the full picture. We can clearly see that racial disparities persist, but we can’t know the full extent because NYPD is reporting out aggregate data. We need the NYPD to report at the incident level versus the precinct level to allow for the kind of detailed oversight that would protect Black, Latinx, and other New Yorkers of color from future abusive stops and police misconduct,” said Alan Abraham, Policy and Organizing Coordinator with Communities United for Police Reform.
The How Many Stops Act makes transparent where, when, why, along with key demographic information about who the NYPD is stopping on a daily basis. The latest reporting period found that in 68% of all precincts, people of color made up the majority of level one stops. This is occurring in a period where stop-and-frisk is at an all-time high since 2015 and police misconduct claims are up by 51%.
“Unconstitutional stops, questions, and frisks are still rampant in New York City. The NYPD continues to stop thousands of New Yorkers, racial disparities have worsened, and much more must be done to ensure true community safety and accountability,” said Samah Sisay, staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights.
Police transparency and accountability are more important now than ever. Not only is the current mayor under a federal indictment, but Mayor Eric Adams also attempted to block passage of HMSA, proceeded to cut funding to the CCRB, and failed to address NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban’s blanket dismissal of over 400 misconduct cases. Additionally, the Federal Monitor – appointed by Judge Shira Scheindlin in 2013 to monitor the NYPD’s implementation of reforms to the stop-and-frisk program – recently released two new reports that highlighted the NYPD’s continued refusal to fire or meaningfully discipline cops who conduct abusive stops and failure to comply with court-ordered mandates to end its unconstitutional stop-and-frisk practices. These reports as well as the preliminary data from the implementation of HMSA confirm that the NYPD and the mayor have put the protection of the police ahead of New Yorkers.
Additional Quotes
“The NYPD seemingly has god-given authority in this city; they have an authority to make the general public feel helpless. As soon as a cop stops a pedestrian they feel like they have to put their hands up. Why is the public trained to be fearful?” said Kezilar Cornish, VOCAL-NY member. “This fear and authority is what led to the NYPD illegally stopping me in 1994 and how I ended up in prison for 23 years for a wrongful conviction. These practices that led to my incarceration 30 years ago exist till this day. Stop and frisk was made unconstitutional on the books but NYC and the Mayor have refused to rectify unlawful stops against poor, Black and Brown communities.”
“Black and brown youth like me are targeted by police across the city. What feels normal to us, things like staying out late with friends, is seen by police as an opportunity to criminalize us because of our skin color. This leaves us scared, anxious, and fearing for our lives. That’s why HMSA is vital. It will reveal who’s being targeted and where, helping us hold police accountable for abusive and racist practices. Instead of targeting us, the city and mayor should address our education system, and the lack of resources, which are the real issues affecting our communities,” said Kamil Stewart, 18 year old youth member of Make the Road New York.
“As someone who grew up in the Bronx, I’ve seen firsthand how stop-and-frisk practices tear at the fabric of our communities, targeting Black and brown New Yorkers with impunity. At The Bronx Defenders, we represent countless individuals whose lives have been disrupted or devastated by these unconstitutional and racist practices. The data we have so far indicates that the NYPD is refusing to comply with the transparency provisions of The How Many Stops Act, revealing the urgent need for accountability. It’s time for the NYPD to follow the law, end these harmful tactics, and for the City to invest in real public safety solutions that uplift, not criminalize, our communities,” said Brittany McCoy, Managing Director of Policy at The Bronx Defenders.
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 reduces reliance on policing. CPR runs coalitions of over 200 local, statewide and national organizations, bringing 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 most unfairly targeted by the NYPD.
