– The coalition Communities United for Police Reform and representatives from community, faith, labor, and law enforcement groups joined City officials, attorneys from the Center for Constitutional Rights and co-counsel to voice support for moving forward with the remedial process ordered by the court in the landmark class action lawsuit Floyd, et al. v. City of New York, et al.
Darius Charney with the Center for Constitutional Rights said, “it is past time to begin the process of reforming the NYPD to make our city a place where all New Yorkers feel safe and respected.”
Ruling that the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk practices employ racial profiling and violate the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments after a 10-week trial last spring, the court appointed an independent monitor and ordered a joint remedial process that includes input, not only from the parties in the lawsuit, but also from stakeholders.
After the court denied the City’s motion to stay the remedial processes last month, the City is seeking a stay with the Second Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals while its appeal of that court’s orders is pending. Today, Floyd plaintiffs submitted a brief opposing the stay, and community groups, faith leaders, unions, and policing experts filed declarations affirming that a stay of the court’s processes is not in the community’s interest. Elected officials, such as Speaker Christine Quinn and Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio have already filed declarations and briefs opposing the City’s request for a stay.
Among the groups to file declarations were 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement, National Association of Latino Officers, SEIU local 32BJ, Malcom X Grassroots Movement, the National Association of Social Workers, Canaan Baptist Church, Make the Road New York, New York Communities for Change, Streetwise and Safe, and the NAACP. Councilmembers included Quinn, Helen Foster and Robert Jackson.
Joo-Hyun Kang of Communities United for Police Reform said "Mayor Bloomberg needs to stop playing politics with New Yorkers' civil rights and safety, and allow our city to get on the path to complying with the Constitution. We have an incredible opportunity to unite our city around a participatory process that prioritizes both safety and rights. Opposing the joint remedies process and reforms to stop-and-frisk will only leave New York further harmed by racial profiling and without true safety for all communities."
