We had a fantastic Stop & Frisk panel on March 28! Similar to the first panel in our Street Smart Series, this event was also targeted to young people to help them understand what to do when they are stopped by the police. We wanted to get the largest audience for this very important message, so we collaborated with Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Kappa Beta Sigma Chapter and Jack & Jill of America, Inc., Brooklyn Chapter.
It worked! Nearly 70 people showed up to hear our panel of experts – attorneys, policemen and community leaders – discuss legal rights during a Stop & Frisk, and provide tips to effectively deal with a stop. The young people in the audience asked a lot of interesting questions that helped to drive the discussion. Our experts gave different perspectives on many of the same questions, and also shared a lot of helpful information.
The audience was surprised at the number of things the public takes for granted that are actually illegal and could elicit a stop – such as using your MetroCard to swipe a stranger through a turnstile! Who knew?
We hope the youth who attended the panel will share the information with their friends, especially one of the key takeaways: While you do have the right to refuse to answer police questions, the safer course of action is to answer.
