According to a local news station the police department in
Memphis could be debating the "stop and frisk" method. Stop and frisk is when police officers stop a
pedestrian, question the pedestrian, and then frisk the pedestrian for illegal
weapons and other contraband. Typically,
the frisk part is only supposed to happen when the police officer has a
suspicion that the pedestrian might have contraband, or the pedestrian is
suspected of involvement in a crime or a potential crime. “Stop and Frisk” is largely an ineffective
device. WMCTV reports that a weapon was
found in only one out of every 3,000 stops.
Furthermore, the technique is largely used to harass African American
and Hispanic individuals. The news
station reported that out of 4.4 million individuals stopped, from 2004 to
2012, eighty percent of them were either African American or Hispanic. This has been the reality for citizens in New
York for the past few decades. In recent
years, the procedure was cut back due to the amount of legal suits that were
filed.
So far, the idea of Stop and Frisk becoming a reality in the
Bluff City appears to only be a rumor. No
one knows where the rumor began, but many media outlets picked up the story. The rumor likely began when Ray Kelley, the
individual that implemented the “stop and frisk” techniques in New York City,
became the consultant for the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission. Paired with the new consultant for the MSCC and
the recent presidential debate discussion of the phenomenon, people’s minds have
been wondering if it could become a norm in Memphis. Although stop and frisk seems to be a rumor
now, there is confirmation that the new Memphis Police Director Mike Rallings is
looking to reduce the crime rate in Memphis.
Whatever actions Rallings takes, he will be carefully watched in the
public eye. When asked about drastic
actions, one Memphian said, “The gap that we already got between the community
and the police, it's going to make it even bigger” As for Ray Kelly, Mike Matthews
of Local Memphis 24 reports, “[his] consulting firm will be in Memphis through
the fall and then the group will make its recommendations to the Memphis Shelby
Crime Commission.”
Whatever the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission chooses to do
will spark some opinions within the Memphis community.
I can say if stop and frisk does become a
reality, I do not think Memphis citizens will accept it peacefully.
http://www.localmemphis.com/news/local-news/stop-talking-about-stop-and-frisk-some-community-leaders-say
http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/33273548/memphians-divided-on-the-use-of-stop-and-frisk
Personally, if stop and frisk does become a reality, I do not think Memphis citizens should accept it peacefully because living in Washington, DC I have seen what it can escalate into. Since the “stop and frisk” policy started being used in DC, the tensions between police and minorities have increased. Unfortunately, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has manipulated the stop and frisk tactic. Currently, the stop and frisks have been shaped into a scarier version called “jump-outs.” Seema Sadanadan (the policy and advocacy director in DC for the ACLU) claims “jump-outs are one of the strategies and tactics that make up this entire matrix of policies and practices that police use in black communities to aggressively pursue low-level offenses.” Also, according to Max Kutner, jump-outs are “traumatizing black communities” and “targeting people of color.” The increased use of jump-outs throughout the DC Metropolitan Area is very controversial and I think would become a problem in Memphis if stop and frisk was to become implemented.
ReplyDeleteThe quotes are from this article:
http://www.newsweek.com/jump-outs-dcs-scarier-version-stop-and-frisk-300151
Raven, I agree that if this did become a reality, Memphis would--and should--protest the policy. I have a major problem with stop and frisk because it is entirely up to the officer as to who he or she searches. That means that an officer brings his or her own personal feelings and biases to the job in an effort to "protect the city." And as some of the statistics you cited point out, that leads to an extreme focus on minority groups. This policy also, in my opinion, goes against the idea that one is "innocent until proven guilty." If a person is walking down the street, minding his own business, the police can still stop him because they presume he is a danger to society. For all the officer knows, that person could be walking to volunteer at a soup kitchen or to donate money to a charitable organization. Stop and frisk enables profiling on an institutional level. I think that if people were that worried about who is walking around with a dangerous weapon, they could attack the problem at the root and implement anti-assault rifle legislation.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that stop and frisk would not only be ineffective in Memphis, as it so obviously is/was elsewhere, but I also believe it has the potential to promote more violence, particularly between the police and citizens. Along the lines of Brooks' comment about "innocent until proven guilty"; in terms of Memphis, we'd have to consider this point alongside many other important factors. I am listing some, because there are so many, like where the highest crime areas are in the city, where is there more police presence, and likewise where is the least? How do all of these factors correlate, or not? It is most likely I think that if stop and frisk were to be implemented would further create fissures in the poorest communities (which may correlate to crime) between the citizens and the police because the people will feel violated by their protectors not actually protected. This is something though that's been seen for all of time... ever. There are so many more ways to eradicate crime and violence in neighborhoods at the roots, although they may be a lot harder to work at, it certainly should begin with trust.
ReplyDeleteIf stop and frisk is implemented, I also agree the city of Memphis will not accept is peacefully. I believe it would promote more discordance among police and citizens. I do believe it would make racism in our city even more obvious, hopefully opening up dialogue with city officials to try and change the overall systemic racism in Memphis. Although I believe it would not go over well, it could just be the crazy push we need to finally change things.
ReplyDelete