Filing Seeks to Block Mayor Bloomberg’s Request for a Stay of the Decision

New York, NY- Today, City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn unveiled a legal declaration to support the recent court ruling instituting much needed reforms to stop and frisk, and oppose Mayor Bloomberg in his attempt to block the court ruling from taking effect. Quinn and other members of the City Council have been working closely with the plaintiff’s counsel, the Center for Constitutional Rights, to oppose any stay pending the appeal, and to urge the Second Circuit Court to uphold the district court decision.

“The court’s decision, along with the Inspector General bill I recently passed with my Council Colleagues, will go a long way to ending the unconstitutional use of stop and frisk in New York City,” said Speaker Quinn. “Mayor Bloomberg’s attempt to block the court ruling is simply unacceptable, and insults the hundreds of thousands of young men of color who are needlessly stopped every year. I’m proud to be filing this declaration to help ensure the court ordered reforms do take effect, so we can finally provide one system of justice for all New Yorkers in every neighborhood.”

In the formal declaration, Quinn states that she opposes the City’s request for a stay “because the joint remedial process is integral to repairing the damage in community relations caused by the current stop and frisk policies and to meaningfully move forward towards achieving reforms that balance the need for effective policing policies with protections for the constitutional rights of every New Yorker.”

Quinn also disagreed with the Bloomberg administration’s claim that a stay would be in the public interest, stating:

“Based on my perspective as Speaker of the City Council, the public has a strong interest in beginning the remedial process immediately and ending the practice of unconstitutional stops.”

In the court filing, Speaker Quinn argues, “a delay in implementing important and necessary reforms — a delay that could last months or even years while an appeal is resolved — that would cause irreparable harm to the City and its residents.”

Today’s announcement builds on Speaker Quinn’s record of taking action to reform stop and frisk, including the recent passage of legislation creating an independent monitor for the NYPD, and securing prosecutorial authority for the NYPD’s Civilian Complaint Review Board. The legal declaration will be officially filed in federal court this week.

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