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Stop ‘Stop & Frisk’ goes to trial

Published May 10, 2012 10:28 PM

The alarm has been sounded and the verdict is in — guilty as charged.

In one of the most highly publicized political trials that New York City has seen recently, all 20 defendants were convicted of disorderly conduct for exercising their First Amendment rights and addressing their grievances against New York City’s Stop and Frisk policy.

Princeton University professor Dr. Cornel West’s presence among the 19 defendants who testified in court brought some of that publicity. The accused answered a call to ”go right up to the line, right up to the edge,” according to Paul Mills, one of the defense attorneys.

In New York City, police stop 1,900 people each day, or more than 684,000 individuals throughout 2011. Eighty-seven percent stopped were Black or Latino/a. Ninety percent were released without charges.

The defendants were rallying Oct. 21 at 125th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. in Harlem. People addressed the crowd then via the people’s mic, which at times extended to three waves of repetition due to the high volume of people in attendance. Some speakers described their personal experiences of being stopped and frisked by the NYPD.

After the speeches, a march began to the 28th Police Precinct. Many of the protesters bypassed the metal barricades sectioned off in front of the precinct and lined themselves up in front of the doors. They chanted, ”We won’t stop until we stop Stop and Frisk!” After approximately 30 minutes, 35 people were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. Twenty of them would continue through to trial.

The prosecution had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt to Judge Robert Mandelbaum that the defendants obstructed the entrance to the 28th Precinct. The defense maintained that the defendants only symbolically blocked the doors and that no member of the public would have been denied entry. Video evidence showed the doors opening and closing several times throughout the demonstration.

In the closing moments of the trial, the defendants had a choice of speaking. The Rev. Earl Kooperkamp of St. Mary’s Church in Harlem said: ”On October 21, I acted out of love. I took an oath to tell the truth, and we’ll continue speaking the truth.”

All defendants were sentenced to time served and must pay a $120 surcharge. One defendant was also required to do two days of community service.

After the May 4 verdict, the defendants’ supporters rallied outside the court. Defendant Ribka Getachew said, ”We thank the judge that in there found us to be guilty, and when we say guilty we have to think about what they’re judging that by.

“We’re talking about the United States Constitution,” she added. “We have to talk about what this country was founded upon. It’s a capitalistic country that aims and that prides itself on inequality and oppression.”

Dr. Cornel West said: ”We emerge from this moment with more strength, more fortitude and more determination because it ain’t about us. We’re just simply trying to make a contribution to minimize the suffering of these young people out here, and we let them know that we love them, we care for them, and we let the powers that be know, we’re gonna stand with them, we’re gonna fight back, we’re gonna defend them, we’re gonna protect them.

“And keep in mind, you’ve got some ancestors in the past smilin’ on you in such a way,” Dr. West added. “Malcolm X says you haven’t forgotten me! Brother Martin says you haven’t forgotten me! Brother Huey and Bobby, you haven’t forgotten me! It’s a compliment to be guilty today.”