Stop and Frisk Unconstitutional

A federal judge has just put a stop to the "Stop and Frisk" controversial program in New York City. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has vowed to appeal claiming the judge to know nothing of law enforcement.

The Stop and Frisk program has been on the news for quite some time.  The case of Trayvon Martin has also been brought up in the debate.  With Stop and Frisk, the NYPD or New York Police Department makes selective stops on people they deem suspicious.

Those individuals are then handcuffed and frisked for contraband.  There has been a huge outcry over this practice because the majority of those who are stopped and frisked are African Americans and Hispanics in urban areas.

Activists claim this practice is the enforcement of racial profiling, or linking certain behaviors to a particular race and using that link to enforce the law.  Their claims are valid indeed.  The amount of Blacks and Latinos stopped is incredibly high.  Non-Hispanic whites are barely stopped at all based on the statistics.  This has put tensions between minority communities and the NYPD which exists to protect all citizens.  The NYPD are trained to automatically think a minority in a hoody, or "gangster" looking clothes is up to no good and must be stopped and frisked.  Some Latinos and Blacks have complained that they have been stopped even while hanging out in front of their homes doing nothing but drinking water or talking with family and friends.

The practice seems to have good intentions, but it is not carried out correctly.  The way Kelly is running the program is indeed racist.  People dress any way they like in America.  There is no such thing as "criminal attire."  Some investors at Wall Street have stolen millions and did not wear a hoody or baggy clothing.  It is wrong to identify people as criminals based on how they look.  I would be extremely upset if my son or relative were walking minding his own business and cops stopped him and treated him as a criminal.

This does have an affect on a person's psychology.  If a person is made to feel like a criminal, he or she will eventually act like one because he/she will rationalize that since he/she is not respected for his/her good conduct, then there is no point in continuing that good conduct since the police will automatically suspect him/her as a criminal.  He/she will then play the role of the suspected criminal.

Moreover, this program has really done nothing to slow crime down in NYC despite the claims of Bloomberg and Kelly.  Almost every week there is a shooting somewhere in NYC.  The innocent are being hauled in along with the guilty with this program.  Whatever happened to "innocent until proven guilty?"  What's next?  Will a priest be classified as a child abuser just for wearing a priest's collar?  Will a Rabbi be classified as a money hungry tyrant?  Will a gay guy be classified as a carrier of HIV just for looking gay?

Lookism and racial profiling are not good for any society and are immoral.  We are all made in God's image.  NYC must find a better way to deal with crime. Education and putting more work with the youth so they would not even think of doing any kind of crime must be used.  People usually commit crimes because they feel that is the only way to survive.  If cities can help people stand on their own feet, then they will not resort to using crime as an "easy way" to survive.

Bloomberg is getting too carried away and wants to over-police New Yorkers.  Whether it is by controlling what they eat and drink or by stop and frisk; he needs to stop it.    

  



Source:
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/judge-rules-nycs-stop-frisk-unconstitutional/story?id=19936326

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/12/new-york-stop-and-frisk-unconstitutional-judge

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/16/us/ny-stop-and-frisk/

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/16/new-york-appeal-stop-frisk-nypd

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/frisk_judge_slapped_X3E5liXomJdyhw2d5Sf6tJ

http://www.nyclu.org/issues/racial-justice/stop-and-frisk-practices

Help the NYPL!

Mayor Bloomberg and mayoral candidate Quinn are about to cut funding to the New York Public Library.  Please visit http://www.nypl.org/ for more information.  Fill out the letter form and send it via email, or write directly to the mayor and city council to voice your concern and disapproval.

The New York Public Library is a priceless asset in New York.  It has one of the largest collections of books on all topics and in different languages.  The library system provides free computers to use, free internet, free resources, training workshops, helps New Yorkers find jobs, prepare documents, do research and so on.  It even provides free activities for people of all ages.

The library has always been my home away from home as a kid and even into my college years.  There I found the peaceful environment to do my reading, research and academic work.  When in New York, I usually blog from a library.

This $47 million budget cut will hurt the library system.  Many services will be cut, jobs will be lost and hours will be cut down.  People need the library, especially youth who are often tempted to be on the streets doing bad things.

Please help in convincing Bloomberg to spare the New York Public Library from this budget cut and instead cut funds to planned parenthood, lgbt and other groups that do not support the common good of New York and who are only interested in pushing their agendas.  The library is a neutral institution that provides knowledge to all for free.  

NYPD Occupies "#Occupy Wall Street"

This morning after weeks of disturbing the peace, creating unsanitary conditions at privately owned Zuccotti park, the pseudo-rights movement that has called itself "Occupy Wallstreet" has been evicted.  This movement literally took over a privately owned park in order to show support for the so called "99%" while at the same time protesting banks.

At first, many saw this movement as a voice for Americans who are going through a hard economic recession.  However, as time went on all began to see that this gathering was nothing more than a modern "Woodstock" of young college age people imitating the counter-culture revolutionaries of the 1960's that called themselves "Hippies."

The group did not seem to have a clear message or goal. It was a mix of Anti-Capitalists, Anarchists, Students upset with tuition hikes, the Unemployed, and just people who wanted to present other progressive issues of the Pro-abortion and LGBT variety.  

The park became an encampment where people squatted, squandered, defecated, urinated, dumped garbage, had sex and even committed crimes against each other such as theft and sexual assault.

The neighbors complained greatly.  One business had to fire employees because no one was doing business with them.  Residents complained of the smell, unsanitary conditions, loud drumming, music, and commotion heard when large crowds form.  

Why this was all allowed to go on is beyond me.  Mayor Bloomberg gets a big F for that.  Had it been Mayor Giuliani, he would have had the water cannons aimed and ready to wash those crowds away.

It appears Michael Bloomberg misinterpreted the First Amendment by thinking that "Freedom to Assemble, Freedom of Speech and Expression" meant to take over a park, and set up an encampment to squat, disturb the peace, commit crimes and pollute.

The First Amendment does not mention the right to pitch a tent in a park or break laws as free speech.  This Amendment does not mean people have the right to do whatever they want at the expense of others.
This Amendment was an answer to the hardships early settlers faced in Europe where they could not speak freely, express themselves freely, assemble freely, or even have their own religion freely.

I understand that the world is going through a recession.  I understand that people are unemployed, prices for basic things are too high, things are a mess; however, taking over a park, sleeping in it, making noise and polluting a neighborhood will not fix anything.

Kudos to NYC, and the NYPD for finally taking action to defend the Common Good.

Imagine if someone went into your backyard and set up a camp in the name of "Free Speech and Assembly?"  How would you feel?

These ideas unfortunately are irresponsibly instilled in young people.  It is not news that most Colleges and Universities foster an atmosphere of Dissent, Liberalism, Progressivism, and that Professors far too often pontificate to students on these views rather than educate them.

College courses should be about the curriculum, not the Professor's views.  We do not pay high tuition to hear a professor try to convince us why Liberalism is better than Conservatism, why Pro-Abortion and Pro-LGBT rhetoric is more reflective of a civilized society rather than Pro-Life or Traditional Family views; or why Humanism and Secularism should replace "archaic bronze age" religion and ideas about God and morals.  I will touch on this issue in future blog.

My advice to Occupy Wall Street or "#OWS is to be patient.  When things hit the bottom, there is only one way to go and that is up.  This nation and this world will come around sooner or later.

We are Americans and no challenge is too great for us.  We often say with pride that we are the Land of the Free, but we forget that we are also the Land of the Brave.  So hang in there, we will defeat this recession.  America and the world economy will bounce back.  Just have Faith, it can move mountains.