PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Brittany McCoy, Managing Director of Policy at Bronx Defenders, on Stop and Frisk Practices
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Brittany McCoy, Managing Director of Policy at Bronx Defenders, testifies about the ongoing issues with stop and frisk practices in New York City. She shares her personal experiences and professional observations, emphasizing the continued use of these tactics by the NYPD despite their ineffectiveness and unconstitutional nature.
- McCoy recounts her experience as a high school student in the Bronx, witnessing the impact of stop and frisk on her classmates
- She highlights the importance of the How Many Stops Act for transparency and accountability, while noting initial data suggests NYPD non-compliance
- McCoy calls for reimagining public safety through investments in housing, education, mental health services, and youth programs rather than surveillance and punishment
Brittany McCoy
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Good afternoon.
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Good afternoon, chairperson Salam.
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My name is Britney McCoy, and I am the managing director of policy at the Bronx Defenders.
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I'm also a member of the Communities for United for police reform.
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12 years ago in 2012, as a high school student in the Bronx, I wrote an essay about how stop and frisk violated our constitutional rights.
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It would take a few more years, along with lawsuits by the Bronx defenders and others, for the courts to declare as such, but back then it was obvious.
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I watched classmates, some as young as 14 years old, stopped and searched for doing nothing more than walking to the gym after school or to the corner store or to basketball games or simply just standing outside in our neighborhood.
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It was rarer to hear that a friend hadn't been stopped.
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After watching this happen to my friends for months, I used the class speech assignment to channel my thoughts, writing, is it really worth the intrusiveness and embarrassment for New Yorkers to go through this every single day just for police officers to find something in less than 1% of cases?
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This question unfortunately still stands.
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That speech was the beginning of my career in advocacy, and now 12 years later, I sit before you as the managing director of policy for the Bronx Offenders, yet I'm still fighting against these same practices.
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Even though we know stop and frisk doesn't keep our communities safe, the NYPD continues to use these degrading and unconstitutional tactics every single day.
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And although I will never stop fighting for my community, I would love for the NYPD to just follow the law.
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The how many stops act promises transparency and accountability, and although the initial data we have indicates the NYPD is not complying with the law, it's still enough to confirm what our clients tell us that stop and frisk continues.
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At the Bronx Defenders, where we represent nearly stop and frisk continues.
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At the Bronx Defenders, where we represent nearly 20,000 people every year, we see the ripple effects of these stops.
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A mother detained and missing work because of an unnecessary stop, a teenager's future
Michael Gerber
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derailed because a false arrest leads to suspension or expulsion.
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The council must hold
Brittany McCoy
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the NYPD accountable, and suspension or expulsion.
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The council must hold the NYPD accountable, but this is also a moment to demand more, to reimagine public safety as something built on trust, dignity, and opportunity, not surveillance, punishment, and fear.
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We know what works.
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Investment in affordable housing, education, and mental health services, and youth programs create safety and and stability.
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Thank you.
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Testimony by Michael Sisitzky, Assistant Policy Director of New York Civil Liberties Union, on NYPD Stop and Frisk Practices
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Testimony by Alan Abraham, Representative from Communities United for Police Reform on NYPD's Use of Stop and Frisk and Other Investigative Encounters
