Protesters Rally In Harlem Against NYPD's Stop And Frisk Strategy
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Protesters were out calling for an end to the NYPD's "stop and frisk'' strategy in Harlem Friday afternoon.
About 100 people marched to the 28th precinct police station from the Adam Clayton Powell State Office Building.
1010 WINS' Al Jones Reports From The Protest
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Joined by members of Occupy Wall Street, the demonstrators held signs that read "NYPD Protects and Serves the Rich" and "Cease, Desist: Stop and Frisk."
About two dozen people intentionally blocked the entrance to the precinct to purposely get arrested for disorderly conduct as part of their protest, 1010 WINS Al Jones reported.
Those individuals were taken peacefully one at a time and all were transferred to Central Booking. They will be given desk appearance tickets and released.
More than 500,000 people were stopped last year. About 10 percent of those stops resulted in arrests.
Friday morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended the use of stop and frisk, saying it helps take guns off the streets.
"It's a very effective tool," he said. "It's used in communities where he have lots of guns and lots of murder victims."
Bloomberg said officers are trained to know when and when they can't stop and frisk, and said generally "they do a good job."
But those against the policy say it amounts to racial profiling.
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and state Sen. Eric Adams said at a news conference Wednesday that federal prosecutors need to step in to protect the rights of minorities.
"It's fraught with racial profiling and we cannot wait any longer to reform it," Stringer told 1010 WINS. "We have tried to engage the mayor and the police commissioner, we're obviously not having success. The next step is to go to the federal government."
Last week, protesters marched across the Brooklyn Bridge carrying signs that said "Stop Racist Policing" and "Don't Judge Us Based On Our Race."
Civil rights advocates say the stop and frisks are often without any particular cause and tend to unfairly target minorities.
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