Hakeem Jeffries raises money on the issue of stop-and-frisk
Hakeem Jeffries announces his campaign.
3:01 pm Mar. 29, 20122
Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, who is challenging Representative Ed Towns in a primary this year, is fund-raising off his work fighting the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy.
In an email to supporters today, Jeffries' field director, Andre Richardson, writes that the tactic is a "humiliating, degrading experience and a violation of our civil rights."
"I should know," Richardson writes. "It happened to me."
The email links to two New York Times stories about Jeffries' work on the issue, and answers the implicit question of what exactly Jeffries would do at the federal level on an issue that's considered mostly a state and local concern.
"In Congress, Hakeem will work closely with the U.S. Justice Department to make sure that local law enforcement has the resources available to maintain public safety while simultaneously respecting our cherished constitutional rights," Richardson writes.
Stop-and-frisk could be a big issue in the congressional district, which is predominantly African-American. The policy ends up mostly targeting young black and Latino males.
It was the first issue mentioned in a recent endorsement of Jeffries by the Vanguard Independent Democratic Association, led by Councilman Al Vann, who had long backed Towns.
What is your explicit plan to eradicate the stop and frisk policy of nypd?
Stop and frisk is the same as being robbed at gunpoint, even worse! In the case of a robbery,there is the possibility that the robber actually needs the money that they are taking from you! In the case of the nypd,you can never regain your dignity, self respect or humanity! The nypd have made a financial windfall by abusing people of color. The overtime money and justification of their jobs is their driving force behind abusing people of color.