On Monday, a major lawsuit ensued challenging the NYPD's use of warrant-less stop-and-frisk practices in high-crime neighborhoods. The case, "Floyd, et al. v. City of New York, et al.," is a class-action suit, therefore while all the plaintiffs are different, they have one thing in common: their belief that stop and frisk is unjust.
Critics of the NYPD practice believe that stop-and-frisk is an invasion of privacy, based on race and therefore should be deemed unconstitutional. However, defenders of the practice state that it is legal and has helped make New York City safer than it's been in 50 years.
On Tuesday, a 24-year-old took the witness stand and wept about being handcuffed near his home, while an officer took his house keys and let himself into the building.
Nicholas Peart, who is black, is one of about a dozen New Yorkers expected to tell their stories of being stopped, questioned and frisked by police in a federal trial. Statistics show that 5 million stops have been made over the last 10 years, most of the stops being of black and Hispanic men.
The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of the stop-and-frisk while also stating the policy targets minorities.
However, city lawyers responded to this statement: "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."
During the testimony emotions ran high.
"I remember squad cars pulling up. They just pulled up aggressively, and the cops came out with their guns drawn," sayid Nicholas Peart, one of the plaintiffs. "I think it left me embarrassed, humiliated and upset -- all three things rolled up into one."
Another plaintiff, David Ourlicht, also had an emotional racking meeting with the NYPD.
"[They] threw me up against the wall, took everything out of my pockets, threw it on the floor, dumped my bag on the floor, my books and everything," said David Ourlicht, another plaintiff. "I had the guns to the back of my head. Like, I didn't want to look up or move because there were so many guns drawn. It's scary."
Peart and Ourlicht also testified that these instances were not their only encounter with the NYPD's stop and frisk practice. They both stated that they have been stopped multiple times for doing nothing wrong.
The NYPD makes thousands of warrant-less stops every year, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly testified last week before the city council.
"Last year, we had the lowest number of murders that we've had in 50 years, lowest number of shootings. Something is going right here."
The testimonies have revealed that the plaintiffs in this case, feel criminalized. When recalling his 2011 episode, Peart said he feared for his three siblings.
"I was afraid he would go into my apartment, and I wasn't there to take care of the situation," he said. "To be treated like that, by someone who works for New York City, I felt degraded and helpless."
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