21 December 2011 — CCR

On Sunday, The New York Times featured a powerful op-ed, Why Is the N.Y.P.D. After Me?, authored by Nicholas K. Peart. Nicholas submitted a declaration in support of our recently filed motion for class certification in Floyd v. the City of New York. In the piece, he shares his experiences being stopped and frisked repeatedly by the New York City Police Department. Nicholas writes,

“For young people in my neighborhood, getting stopped and frisked is a rite of passage. We expect the police to jump us at any moment. We know the rules: don’t run and don’t try to explain, because speaking up for yourself might get you arrested or worse. And we all feel the same way — degraded, harassed, violated and criminalized because we’re black or Latino. Nicholas is not alone. Hundreds of thousands of people are stopped each year by the NYPD.”

Have you been stopped as well? CCR is currently interviewing people who have been stopped by the NYPD. Contact us: stopandfrisk@ccrjustice.org or 347.574.7723 to set up an interview. This collection of stories will appear in an upcoming report that documents the impact of stop-and-frisk on peoples’ lives. Learn more at ccrjustice.org/stopandfrisk.