KeJia Sista
Aug 8th, 2005, 04:28 PM
NYers to NYPD: 'I Do Not Consent to Being Searched'
by Chisun Lee
Village Voice
Reacting to the NYPD's announcement Thursday afternoon that police
would randomlyóbut routinelyósearch the bags of commuters, one
concerned New Yorker quickly created a way for civil libertarians to
make their views black-and-white.
In a few outraged moments, local immigrant rights activist Tony Lu
designed t-shirts
http://www.cafepress.com/dontconsent
bearing the
text, "i do not consent to being searched." The minimalist protest-
wear can be purchased here, in various styles and sizes. (Lu will
not get a cut. The shirts' manufacture, sale, and shipment, will be
handled by the online retailer. Lu encourages budget-conscious New
Yorkers to make their own and wear them everywhere.)
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly had announced the legally obviousót
hat New Yorkers are free to decline a search and "turn around and
leave." But Lu, who is a lawyer at Urban Justice Center, warned that
even well-intentioned cops could interpret people's natural
nervousness or anger as "reasonable suspicion." The possibility of
unjustified interrogation and even arrest is real, Lu said.
Although police promised they would not engage in racial profiling,
Lu said that, as with all street-level policing, people of color and
poor immigrants would be particularly vulnerable, especially if
encounters lead to arrests. go to next article in news ->
http://villagevoice.com/news/0530,weblee,66189,5.html
Ke Jia
by Chisun Lee
Village Voice
Reacting to the NYPD's announcement Thursday afternoon that police
would randomlyóbut routinelyósearch the bags of commuters, one
concerned New Yorker quickly created a way for civil libertarians to
make their views black-and-white.
In a few outraged moments, local immigrant rights activist Tony Lu
designed t-shirts
http://www.cafepress.com/dontconsent
bearing the
text, "i do not consent to being searched." The minimalist protest-
wear can be purchased here, in various styles and sizes. (Lu will
not get a cut. The shirts' manufacture, sale, and shipment, will be
handled by the online retailer. Lu encourages budget-conscious New
Yorkers to make their own and wear them everywhere.)
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly had announced the legally obviousót
hat New Yorkers are free to decline a search and "turn around and
leave." But Lu, who is a lawyer at Urban Justice Center, warned that
even well-intentioned cops could interpret people's natural
nervousness or anger as "reasonable suspicion." The possibility of
unjustified interrogation and even arrest is real, Lu said.
Although police promised they would not engage in racial profiling,
Lu said that, as with all street-level policing, people of color and
poor immigrants would be particularly vulnerable, especially if
encounters lead to arrests. go to next article in news ->
http://villagevoice.com/news/0530,weblee,66189,5.html
Ke Jia