PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Veronica Leventhal, Social Worker with the Adolescence Intervention Defense Project at Legal Aid Society
3:43:07
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130 sec
Veronica Leventhal, a social worker from the Legal Aid Society, testified against the NYPD's use of stop and frisk and the gang database, arguing that these practices criminalize young people based on appearance and location rather than actual criminal activity. She emphasized the negative psychological impact on children and the erosion of trust in law enforcement.
- Leventhal witnessed abuse of power by the 73rd precinct in Brownsville, including illegal stops, searches, and violence against children.
- She called for the passage of Intro 798 to end the use of stop and frisk and the gang database.
- Leventhal urged the council to invest in community resources for children rather than in police and jails.
Veronica Leventhal
3:43:07
Good afternoon.
3:43:08
My name is Veronica Leventhal, and I am a social worker with the Legal Aid Society's Adolescence Intervention Defense Project.
3:43:15
We help young people navigate their felony cases in the youth part of supreme court.
3:43:20
My clients are all teenagers.
3:43:21
Most of them live in the same neighborhoods in Brooklyn, and none of them are white.
3:43:25
I'm here today to speak out against NYPD's use of stop and frisk and the gangs database, both of which actually contribute to increased criminality.
3:43:33
By utilizing these drag nets, the NYPD criminalizes people, including children, based on where they live, how they look, and the color of their skin without any consideration of whether they in fact committed a crime.
3:43:45
Kids as young as 12 are targeted, harassed, and searched based entirely on their external appearance.
3:43:51
The impact this can have on a child's sense of self is profound.
3:43:55
If an adult is telling you every single day that you are a hazard to your community and continually, aggressively stopping and searching you, it can severely damage your psyche.
3:44:04
And what's more, it permanently hinders your faith in the police to keep you safe, making you less likely to seek their assistance in crisis.
3:44:11
I personally have witnessed the 73rd precinct repeatedly abuse their power to subjugate the children of Brownsville.
3:44:17
Our children need guidance and support, and instead, the 73rd illegally stops, searches, and uses violence to arrest them.
3:44:24
I cannot count the number of times I've seen a child with cuts and bruises all over their bodies, thanks to those sworn to serve and protect us at the 73rd.
3:44:32
The murder of Jordan Neely drove me to testify here today.
3:44:35
It haunts me because I worry it has now defined who in this city constitutes a criminal, who is categorized as a threat to our safety, and who is not.
3:44:44
I know my clients.
3:44:45
They are not just reflections of the worst day of their lives and they do not deserve the dozens of illegal searches they endure at such young ages.
3:44:53
I wonder if they would have even been arrested if they weren't in the racist gang database, if they weren't already targeted.
3:44:59
I'm asking this council to end this unchecked abuse of stop and frisk and the racist gang database by passing intro 798, but I'm also asking you to simply talk to the kids in our communities, to hear their experiences directly from them and then to invest in their communities and resources for our children rather than in police and jails.
3:45:16
Thank you.
← Previous Chapter
Testimony by Jacqueline Gosdigian, Supervising Policy Counsel at Brooklyn Defender Services, on NYPD's Use of Stop and Frisk and Other Investigative Encounters
Next Chapter →
Testimony by Mylana Gerard, Coordinator of Youth Initiatives at Bronx Community Justice Center, on Stop and Frisk and Gang Database
