May 2, 2012
By Scott M. Stringer, Manhattan Borough President
Recently I stood with Martin Luther King III to call for fundamental reform of the City’s stop and frisk program. Stop and frisk is one of the great civil rights struggles of our time. As currently practiced, it represents a continuation of separate and unequal policing on the streets of New York—an affront to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy and a continued impediment to effective policing in America’s largest city.
I have been energized by conversations that I’ve had with people across this great City who have been inspired to stand up and demand policing that is tough and smart, that works with communities to improve public safety, rather than alienating an entire generation of New Yorkers. Because the truth is that it isn’t enough to say that stop and frisk isn’t working. Instead, we must put forth meaningful options for reform. That’s why this week, I published an op-ed in The Nation, calling for fundamental reform of stop and frisk, but also urging the adoption of a series of alternatives that will ensure public safety while respecting our rights and liberties.
Community-based solutions demand community dialogue. On Wednesday, May 16th, I’ll join criminal justice experts and community leaders in a discussion about alternatives to stop and frisk and what we can do to be tougher and smarter on crime. I hope you’ll join us for this special panel discussion, Moving Beyond Stop and Frisk: A Dialogue on Alternatives that Work, to be held on May 16th at 6:30 at Touro College on 124th Street in Harlem. We can and must do better. And as one, united people, we will succeed.
