Mayor de Blasio files to drop city’s stop-and-frisk appeal

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration filed court papers on Thursday to drop the city’s appeal of a judge’s decision to reform the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy.

The papers were filed in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan.

“This is a defining moment in our history. It’s a defining moment for millions of our families, especially those with young men of color,” de Blasio said. “This will be one city, where everyone’s rights are respected, and where police and community stand together to confront violence.”

U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled last year that the Police Department had discriminated against minorities with stop-and-frisk.

Scheindlin appointed lawyer Peter Zimroth to monitor the NYPD and ordered that officers wear body cameras.

The city filed to appeal the decision last year under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Despite the city dropping the appeal, the case may not be over. When de Blasio was elected mayor last year, the Patrolman’s Benevolent Association (PBA) promised that they will seek to intervene and carry on the appeal.

This contradiction was addressed by Councilmember Jumaane Williams in his statement responding to the news of de Blasio’s legal filings.

I am grateful that mayor has fulfilled a campaign promise and is doing the right thing by dropping the appeal [but] still, the job isn’t done. The [PBA] and the Sergeants Benevolent Association are attempting to continue to keep New Yorkers in a state of confusion by intervening to keep the suit alive. They should abandon these efforts, said Williams, a representative of Flatbush, East Flatbush, Flatlands, Canarsie and parts of Midwood–all neighborhoods with sizable immigrant and people of color populations.

Combined, the remedies outlined in Floyd, along with the Community Safety Act, will finally give all New Yorkers confidence that this is, and will continue to united city that protects all residents without violating their civil rights and liberties.I look forward to the administration fulfilling its commitment to also drop the appeal against the Community Safety Act. . . specifically the Anti-Profiling bill, Williams added.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.