NYPD 12

In March 2016, Justice League NYC joined with our community partners to support the NYPD12 - twelve brave New York City police officers who are suing the City and NYPD over forced racial quotas (a program and practice the NYPD insists does not exist).  As part of our #MeettheNYPD12 campaign, we shared  NBC's investigative journalist Sarah Wallace's interview with the 12 which aired in two parts at the end of March.  You can see the interview here.

JLNYC has been working with these 12 brave whistleblowers for several months.  Their case exposes the systemic racism of the (illegal) racially-biased quota system being widely practiced by the NYPD.  These officers have hours upon hours of secretly-recorded audio of their superior officers forcing them to target Black men (and boys) in predominantly poor communities, in order to get fines and summonses.  Instead of protecting and servicing, our peace officers are being used as "police-ateers" - to raise dollars for city coffers.  It's despicable and illegal - and it MUST stop.

Upon delivering the filing motion to stop the dismissal of this crucial case, Justice League has released a video of another NYPD victim - Officer Michael Birch - whose case against the city was recently thrown out.  In this video you'll hear Officer Birch in conversation with his commanding officer, Captain Constantin Tsachas, who is demanding he target Black men.  You hear Birch clearly say repeatedly "I'm not targeting anybody".  But Tsachas keeps pushing him to get his TABS up (his "activities" aka summonses).  The reason?  They're looking for stops that result in a "pop" - NYPD lingo for an outstanding warrant for arrest.  And Captains like Tsachas believe they'll get more pops if they target more Black men.  This is the DEFINITION of racist quotas.  A practice that Commissioner Bratton claims DOES NOT EXIST.  In fact, he called the accusation "bullshit".

Listen for yourself, and please share with your networks.  Right now our communities are working on all cylinders to demand sensible, common sense solutions and police reforms to end the brutality facing our Black and Brown brothers and sisters.