(AllHipHop News) The New York Police Department’s controversial Stop-and-Frisk policy has been ruled a violation of constitutional rights by a federal judge on Monday. Four men filed a class-action lawsuit against the NYPD in 2004 claiming they were stopped by police just because of their race. U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin said that nine of the 19 stops testified about during the 10-week Floyd vs. City of New York trial were unconstitutional and five stops included wrongful frisking.
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“The city’s highest officials have turned a blind eye to the evidence that officers are conducting stops in a racially discriminatory manner,” wrote Scheindlin. “In their zeal to defend a policy that they believe to be effective, they have willfully ignored overwhelming proof that the policy of targeting ‘the right people’ is racially discriminatory.”
Judge Scheindlin did not end the policy, but offered that it be reformed. An independent court monitor has been assigned to oversee the reforms to the policy. Police in areas where most of the stops took place were also ordered to test wearing body cameras.
“This is a groundbreaking victory,” said NAACP President Ben Jealous.
New York mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to file an appeal of the ruling.
“We didn’t believe that we were getting a fair trial,” said Bloomberg. “And this decision confirms that suspicion.”
Current New York mayoral candidate Anthony W##### called the ruling a “teachable moment for our city.”
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