Stop And Frisk Trial

5 million stops have been made during the past decade, mostly of black and Hispanic men.

'It's Therapy': Why One Man Takes the Stop And Frisk Trial Personally

Lawrence Rushing, a Brooklyn professor has made a point of attending the federal stop and frisk trial nearly every day since it began three months ago. He has no personal ties to the case. But he believes the lawsuit challenging the way the city has been conducting its stop and frisk tactic is the most important trial focused on race in decades. Rushing has attended each day of the stop and frisk trial for most of past nine weeks. He arrives at 8:30 a.m. He has a bagel and a coffee in the cafeteria. Then he heads to courtroom 15C where he takes his usual spot in the second row.

"I live in the Prospect Lefferts Garden section of Brooklyn. I've seen stops in my neighborhood and it's shocking. ... You don't believe that its happening when it does. But for the people that are being stopped, they’re in a kind of shock. They are kind of speechless. They don't know why its going on or happening."

"Nobody wants criminals to be dealt with more than the black community because they are often the victims of street crime. But instead of going after the criminals they go after innocent people-- 90 percent of the people they stop are innocent of any crime… If there's one thing a community should be able to do is to protect their children and we are not able to protect our children and this is a horrible blight on us, the older generation."

You've mentioned that whatever happens in terms of the outcome of the case you’re hopeful that race relations will improve and more New Yorkers will get to enjoy a better quality of life. Why do you think so?

  KATHLEEN HORAN, Reporter, WNYC News

Witness Breaks Down in Stop And Frisk Trial

A 24-year-old nonprofit worker wept on the witness stand Tuesday as he described an unnerving episode of being handcuffed near his home while an officer took his keys and went inside his building.


City attorneys said officers operate within the law and do not target people solely because of their race. Police go where the crime is - and crime is overwhelmingly in minority neighborhoods, city lawyers said.