Ebony's Michael Arceneaux writes that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's support of the controversial police practice of "stop and frisk," while he fights against sugary drinks and cigarettes, rings hollow.
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For someone who wants to make sure people don't smoke, waste energy, shoot each other with military-style firearms, or eat a bagel that's way too big, you don't express similar urgency when it comes to Black and Latino youth being violated on the streets of New York City …
You said: "If we stopped people based on census numbers, we would stop many fewer criminals, recover many fewer weapons and allow many more violent crimes to take place. We will not do that. We will not bury our heads in the sand."
But what about the statistics that have proven that all stop and frisk is good for is abuse and harassment? What about the fact that 9 out of 10 stops have turned up no illegal contraband? That a mere 0.2 percent of them have turned up guns? That the practice has done absolutely nothing to make the city's streets safer, and instead, fuels the fires of the already tense relationship between people of color and the police?
Read Michael Arceneaux's entire piece at Ebony.
The Root aims to foster and advance conversations about issues relevant to the black Diaspora by presenting a variety of opinions from all perspectives, whether or not those opinions are shared by our editorial staff.
Michael Arceneaux hails from Houston, lives in Harlem and praises Beyoncé’s name wherever he goes. Follow him on Twitter.
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