Mayor says NYC will settle lawsuits on stop-and-frisk tactics against Caribbean nationals

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio indicated that the city will settle lawsuits on the controversial stop-and-frisk tactics by the New York Police Department (NYPD) against Caribbean nationals. As part of his campaign, de Blasio promised to end the era of stop-and-frisk policing that had been a very divisive issue one during the mayoral race last year.

In making the announcement in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, where many minorities have reportedly been the target of the NYPD’s tactics, de Blasio said the city has reached an agreement with civil rights lawyers, who argued that the policy violated the rights of minorities. He went on to say, “We’re here today to turn the page on one of the most divisive problems in our city. We believe in ending the overuse of stop-and-frisk that has unfairly targeted young African-American and Latino men.”

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg had sought to appeal the August 12 ruling of US federal Judge Shira Scheindlin, which stated that the NYPD’s use of stop-and-frisk violated the constitutional rights of minorities. Bloomberg denounced ruling, arguing that it would put the safety of New Yorkers at risk. However, under the proposed settlement, de Blasio said New York City would accept the remedies ordered by the judge, including the appointment of an outside monitor to oversee NYPD reforms.

The agreement also called for the oversight by the monitor to last three years rather than no end date, as in Judge Scheindlin’s decision. De Blasio went on to say, “We believe these steps will make everyone safer. This will be one city where everyone rises together, where everyone’s rights are protected.”

He also said that the NYPD’s policy was “broken and misused,” citing a “collective commitment to fix the fundamental problems that enabled stop-and-frisk to grow out of control and violate the rights of innocent New Yorkers”.

Source: Caribbean360