A federal judge has ruled that New York City police are not allowed to routinely stop pedestrians outside of private residential buildings in the Bronx. The stops are part of the so-called Clean Halls program, which has prompted allegations of police harassment by some residents who say they are being accosted outside of the buildings in which they live. Previous data on the New York Police Department’s “stop-and-frisk” policy has shown African-American and Latino men make up a hugely disproportionate share of those stopped. We’re joined by Molly Kovel, staff attorney with the Bronx Defenders and part of the legal team in the case; and by Abdullah Turner, a Bronx resident whose building is enrolled in the Clean Halls program and who says he was unfairly arrested while waiting for a friend inside.
Molly Kovel, A staff attorney with the Bronx Defenders. Her clients are residents of the Bronx who were illegally stopped by New York City police as part of Operation Clean Halls –- part of the stop-and-frisk program that allows police officers to patrol in and around certain private apartment buildings.
Abdullah Turner, A Bronx resident whose building is enrolled in the “Clean Halls” program and who says he was unfairly arrested while waiting for a friend inside.