Press Releases

(DETROIT) – Today, a federal judge ruled in the case of Floyd v. City of New York that the city’s “stop and frisk” policy is unconstitutional. After this ruling, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement:

“Today’s federal court decision striking down New York’s stop-and-frisk policy is a victory for individual liberty and equal justice under the law.

“The Court found that the city has a ‘policy of targeting expressly identified racial groups for stops in general.’ Of the  4.43 million stops made by police between 2004 and 2012 , 88% were of African American and Hispanic individuals, yet nearly 90 percent of the people stopped are released without the officer finding any basis for a summons or arrest.  The Court also found that African Americans and Hispanics 'were more likely to be subjected to the use of force than whites, despite the fact that whites are more likely to be found with weapons or contraband.'

“The Constitution demands that people have the right to walk down the street without being targeted by the police just because of their race.  That is why I have introduced the End Racial Profiling Act.  I call on the House leadership to bring this legislation before the Congress as soon as possible so that we can, once and for all, put an end to this outrageous and unconstitutional conduct.”

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