NAACP: Stop-and-frisk ruling a ‘groundbreaking victory’

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Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled Monday morning that New York City’s Police Department’s stop-and-frisk practice violated constitutional rights – and the NAACP is pleased with her decision.

In a statement released Monday morning, the organization said they “commend” Scheindlin for her ruling in the case of Floyd vs. City of New York, which involved four men who say they were unfairly targeted by the NYPD because of their race.

Scheindlin’s decision also prompted her to appoint a lawyer to monitor the actions of the NYPD.

“This is a groundbreaking victory,” said NAACP President Ben Jealous. “Judge Scheindlin recognized what the NAACP has been saying for years: the racial profiling tactic of stop-and-frisk has no place in our enlightened society. We hope that Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Kelly will heed this decision and end their crude and abusive policy. We will continue to stand up with the tens of thousands of New Yorkers who marched with us last June and fight for the protections of the Community Safety Act.”

Over 532,000 people were stopped and questioned by the NYPD in 2012 alone, which is more than a 440 percent increase in the number of stops made since 2002. Eighty-seven percent of those who were stopped were either African-American or Latino, according to the NYCLU.

Jealous isn’t the first to publicly address his approval of the ruling — controversial NYC mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner also weighed in.

“This decision sadly confirms what was profoundly obvious. When the police stop tens of thousands of citizens who have done nothing wrong – the overwhelming number being young men of color – basic civil rights are being violated,” Weiner said. “The policy of using stop and frisk as a deterrent rather than a tool for the pursuit of actual criminals has to change.”