Showing posts tagged NYPD

sonofbaldwin:

What I’d like to know is: Where is the information that shows us how many people of color vs. how many white people ACTUALLY have contraband on them when they are stopped?

In 2009, for example, the NYPD stopped approximately 575,000 New Yorkers: approximately 490,000 were black or Latino and approximately 53,000 were white. And even though NINE TIMES AS MANY people of color than white people were stopped and frisked, they found that MORE white people than people of color had contraband (illegally concealed weapons, illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia, etc) on their person. (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/13/nyregion/13frisk.html?pagewanted=all)

Now with those results, it seems CLEAR that the NYPD—if they insist on this DREADFULLY draconian and unconstitutional policy—should be stopping those who their own statistics show would be most likely carrying something illegal. But that would assume that the NYPD was as interested in preventing crime as they are in perpetuating racism and white supremacy. And as a native New Yorker, I can tell you with a great deal of certainty that the NYPD is only MARGINALLY interested in crime prevention. Even their whistle-blowers can tell you that (source: http://www.villagevoice.com/2012-03-07/news/the-nypd-tapes-confirmed/ and http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/03/nypd_crime_stat_1.php).

And police officers of color are NOT exempt from this racist perpetuation and are often MORE eager and zealous in the perpetuation of it than their white counterparts. As James Baldwin once said: “[W]e feared black cops even more than white cops, because the black cop had to work so much harder—on your head—to prove to himself and his colleagues that he was not like all the other n****rs.”

The NYPD is an institutionally racist organization; that’s not difficult to discern for anyone with even a gnat’s brain. The difficulty comes in when we realize that we’re actually going to have to do something about it.

kemetically-ankhtified:

87% Of People Stopped And Frisked By The NYPD In 2011 Were Black And Hispanic

The Wall Street Journal reports that NYPD’s Stop-and-Frisk reached an all time high last year (2011) with just about 684,330 stopped and questioned.  What is more alarming is that 87% of those folks happen to be Black and Hispanic Latino.  Here are some stats:

And who was it that got stop-and-frisked the most? 92 percent of those stopped were males, and 87 percent of those stopped were black or Hispanic, a glaring disparity considering blacks and Hispanics make up only 59 percent of the city’s population.

Just 12 percent of those stopped were arrested.

Last year alone, the NYPD stopped enough totally innocent New Yorkers to fill Madison Square Garden more than 30 times over,” NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman said in a statement. “It is not a crime to walk down the street in New York City, yet every day innocent black and brown New Yorkers are turned into suspects for doing just that. It is a stunning abuse of power that undermines trust between police and the community.”

(Source: kemetically-afrolatino)

(Reblogged from deliciouskaek)

midwestmountainmama:

ritheory:

What the fuck. 

wow. my point made. i don’t even need to say anything anymore! eventually, tumblr WILL get to it! :D

Down the memory hole.

(Reblogged from karnythia)

tariqk:

cognitivedissonance:

Police pen up and mace female “Occupy Wall Street” protesters

In a disturbing scene from today’s “Occupy Wall Street” protests, a group of peaceful female protesters were rounded up in an orange-colored mesh pen by police and subsequently sprayed with mace without any provocation.

In spite of multiple reported incidents of possible police violence, major media outlets seem to be content to let the protests go by completely unreported, following the same “who-cares” attitude they have taken toward recent revelations that the NYPD has violated the Constitutional rights of American citizens by spying on them as possible terrorists and enemies of the state despite a complete absence of evidence of any crimes.

This is absolutely disturbing. Penning people up to mace them is police brutality. Period. What will it take to get the mainstream media to pay attention? If you follow the #OccupyWallStreet, you’ll find out that at least 80 were arrested today. AP and Wall Street Journal mentioned the arrests briefly today. 

What happened to telling others to uphold the principles of justice and freedom, Americans? Too much for you to do?

Is there -any- possible explanation for this besides the cops trying to provoke a violent response?

(Reblogged from moniquill)

castrophany:

MY FRIENDS ARE BEING HELD IN THE BACK OF A POLICE WAGON, SWEATING AND BEGGING FOR WATER. THE POLICE ARE REFUSING TO TURN ON THE AIR OR PROVIDE THEM WITH WATER. A MAN HAS A SERIOUS HEAD WOUND AND NEEDS IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION. I QUOTE “HIS FINGERS ARE TURNING BLUE AND THEY’RE LAUGHING AT US”.

Do not let the nypd get away with this.

(Reblogged from karnythia)