By Ben Cornelius Associate Editor, Volume 23 Kyle Descher was born in Korea, but adopted at a young age by an American couple. [1] Back when he was a college student he and a roommate headed out to a bar after a Washington State University football victory over Oregon. [2] As the pair approached […]
New York City
Stop the frisks: why stop-and-frisk receipts are not the answer
By Breanna Caldwell Associated Editor, Vol. 21 Background: Unconstitutional Stop-and-Frisks In 1964, New York introduced its first stop-and-frisk law.[1] Under the statute, a police officer was authorized to stop a person in a public place if she “reasonably suspect[ed]” that that person has committed, is currently committing, or is about to commit a crime.[2] Additionally, […]
African-American Teen Imprisoned at Rikers Island for Three Years After Being Falsely Accused of Stealing a Backpack
By Whitney Robinson, Associate Editor Vol. 20 In May of 2010, 16 year-old Kalief Browder was walking home from a party in the Bronx with a friend. Suddenly, Browder and his friend were being stopped by police officers operating on a dubious tip from a man accusing Browder of stealing his backpack. Without ever having […]
COMMENT: The Appearance of Impartiality in New York City’s Stop-and-Frisk Litigation
By Andrew Goddeeris, Associate Editor, Volume 19 This past August, U.S. District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin issued a ruling in Floyd v. City of New York that challenged the New York City Police Department’s (“NYPD”) controversial use of stop-and-frisk practices in the last decade.[1] From January 2004 to June 2012, the NYPD made 4.4 million stops […]
Michigan Journal of Race & Law 