This interesting piece in the New York Times claims that newly released data Shows an Increase in Street Stops. That alone is interesting, but here's the bit that gets me:
The 145,098 stops from January through March — up from 134,029 during the same quarter a year earlier — led to 8,711 arrests. That means that in 94 out of a 100 cases, the cops were harassing an innocent person. (Calls into question "reasonable suspicion" doesn't it?) And given that blacks are stopped in wildly disproportionate numbers it explains why there is such a sense of over policing in poor communities of color.
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my controversial book about a day in my life as Public Defender in the South Bronx is finally available for Kindle and Ipad.
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And more from your headline "You wonder why they hate the police..."
In Atlanta right now, we're waiting for the jury to come back in the trial of one of the police officers responsible for the shooting death of an elderly lady after entering her home on a bogus search warrant. I recceived this report from one of the lawyers who sat in during another officer's testimony (he's already plead guilty in this case):
During testimony concerning the planted drugs in the house of Kathryn Johnston, Gregg Junnier was asked where he got the drugs to plant. He replied that it was common practice to keep a stash of "insurance drugs" for use in arrests.
He further elaborated that the Red Dog squad [Atlanta's special division for drug crimes] taught the narcotics unit this tactic.
Celeste Sauls Jenks
celeste.law@comcast.net
Bill Daniels alumna :-)
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