>> THANK YOU.
>> MORE THAN TWO MILLION PEOPLE
MIGHT BE ELIGIBLE TO JOIN A
CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT OVER THE
CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT'S STOP
AND FRISK PRACTICES.
THAT IS ACCORDING TO ATTORNEYS
SUING C.P.D. AND THE CITY A
LAWSUIT THAT WAS CERTIFIED AS A
CLASS ACTION BY A FEDERAL JUDGE.
THE PLAINTIFFS ARGUE C.P.D.
DISPROPORTIONATELY TARGETS YOUNG
AND MIDDLE-AGED BLACK AND BROWN
MEN WITH STOP AND FRISK TACTICS
IN VIOLATION OF THE THEIR
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS.
JOINING US ARE RASHAWN LINDSEY
ONE OF THE OF THE OF PLAINTIFFS
IN THE SUIT AND ATTORNEY ANTONIO
ROMANUCCI WE ASKED THE CITY AND
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR
COMMENT.
THE CITY DOES NOT COMMENT ON
ONGOING LITIGATION AND THE
POLICE DEPARTMENT DID NOT
RESPOND FOR THE REQUEST FOR
COMMENT.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
ANTONIO, WHEN ARE POLICE
ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO MAKE A
STREET STOP NN WHAT DO YOU
ACCUSE THEM OF HAVING DOING?
>> POLICE ARE ALLOWED UNDER THE
LAW UNDER A 50 LAW THEY ARE
ALLOWED TO MAKE WHAT ARE CALLED
STREET STOPS.
BUT ONLY UNDER VERY CERTAIN
CONDITIONS.
THEY NEED WHAT IS CALLED
REASONABLE ARCTICABLE SUSPICION
THAT A CRIME HAS BEEN COMMITTED
OR ONE WILL BE COMMITTED IN
ORDER TO MAKE A CONSTITUTIONAL
STOP.
WHAT WE'RE ALLEGING IS THAT THE
CITY OF CHICAGO DID NOT FOLLOW
THE LAW IN THIS CASE, TERRY V
OHIO AND THEY MADE RANDOM STOPS
THAT TARGETED BLACK AND HISPANIC
PEOPLE.
THEY MAKE STOPS TO THE TUNE OF
OVER TWO MILLION OF THEM.
AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE SAYING THAT
THIS IS A GOOD CLASS THAT WAS
CERTIFIED BY THE JUDGE BECAUSE
THESE WERE UNCONSTITUTIONAL
STOPS.
>> RASHAWN LINDSEY, WHAT WAS
YOUR EXPERIENCE BEING STOPPED BY
C.P.D.?
>> WELL, I WAS JUST TALKING WITH
A COUSIN AND A FRIEND AND ONE
MINUTE I HAVE THE HEADPHONES
WALKING DOWN THE STREET.
AND THE NEXT MINUTE I HAD A
TASER ON ME AND TOLD TO PUT MY
HANDS UP.
NO WARNING NO SIRENS JUST TURN
AROUND, TASE.
YOU DON'T WANT TO GET TASED PUT
YOUR HANDS UP.
>> AND WHAT HAPPENED THEN?
IT SOUNDS LIKE NOTHING CAME OF
THAT THAT STOP WERE YOU CHARGED
WITH ANYTHING WHAT CAME OF THAT?
>> NO CHARGES WHATSOEVER WE WERE
HANDCUFFED TO EACH OTHER BROUGHT
TO THE HOOD OF THE CAR AND
SEARCHED ALL OUR STUFF PULLED
OUT OF MY POCKETS ASKED IF WE
HAD MARIJUANA AND WE DIDN'T.
AFTER THEY RAN OUR ID'S WE WERE
ONE OF THE GOOD ONES AND THEY
LET US GO.
NO REASON GIVEN TO US WHY WE
WERE STOPPED.
>> ACCORDING TO THE EVIDENCE
THAT YOU SUBMITTED BETWEEN
63-71% OF THE STOPS WERE BLACK
RESIDENTS BETWEEN 17-21% WERE
LATINX AND 7-13% WERE WHITE.
BASED ON THAT, AND WHAT YOU
MENTIONED EARLIER, HOW MANY
PEOPLE DO YOU THINK COULD BE A
PART OF THIS CLASS ACTION?
>> WELL, WHAT WE KNOW IS THIS...
IN THE YEAR PRIOR TO THE LAWSUIT
THAT WAS FILED IN THE FULL
CALENDAR YEAR OF 2014, THERE
WERE 716,000 OF THESE STOPS THAT
WERE MADE.
NOT ONE OF THESE STOPS LED TO AN
ARREST.
ZERO OVER 716,000.
NOT ONE OF THESE STOPS LED TO
THE CONFISCATION OF AN ILLEGAL
GUN OR ILLEGAL DRUGS.
SO THAT WAS IN ONE YEAR.
WE KNOW THAT OVER FOUR TO FIVE
YEAR PERIOD THERE WERE
APPROXIMATELY TWO MILLION OR
MORE OF THESE STOPS.
SO THAT'S ONLY IN THE CLASS
PERIOD.
SO YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT THERE
ARE MANY, MANY OTHER PEOPLE THAT
HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO THIS
UNCONSTITUTIONAL PRACTICE OF NO
SUSPICION OF HAVING NO
REASONABLE SUSPICION OF HAVING
COMMITTED A CRIME OR ABOUT TO
COMMIT A CRIME.
SO THE NUMBERS ARE STAGGERING.
JUST ABSOLUTELY STAGGERING.
BUT WE KNOW THAT IN THIS CLASS
PERIOD THERE ARE AT LEAST TWO
MILLION PEOPLE WHO WERE
SUBJECTED TO A STOP WITH NO
ARREST.
>> TWO MILLION.
RASHAWN LINDSEY, BEING ONE OF
THEM, WHY DID YOU WANT TO BE A
PART OF THIS SUIT?
>> I THOUGHT IT WOULD BRING
ABOUT A GOOD CHANGE THAT WE HAD
AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE THE
POLICE SYSTEM IN ITSELF FROM THE
INSIDE.
BECAUSE IT'S [INAUDIBLE]
FOR ZERO REASON AND NO ARRESTS.
>> ANTONIO, WE KNOW THAT C.P.D.
HAS BEEN GOING THROUGH AN EFFORT
THAT IS SUPPOSED TO REFORM ITS
STOP AND FRISK PRACTICES UNDER
AN AGREEMENT WITH THE A.C.L.U.
HAS THAT BROUGHT ABOUT ANY
CHANGE?
>> WE HAVE NOT SEEN ANY
MEANINGFUL CHANGE.
THEY DID BRING OUT WHAT IS
CALLED AN INVESTIGATORY REPORT
OR A --
I FORGOT THE ACRONYM BUT THEY
ARE NOT TRAINING ON THIS NEW
STOP AND FRISK POLICY.
AND THAT'S PART OF THE PROBLEM.
THE CITY OF CHICAGO CREATES
POLICIES, THEY CREATE ORDERS,
BUT THEN THEY DON'T TRAIN ON
THEM APPROPRIATELY AND THAT'S
PART OF THE OPINION THAT CAME
OUT FROM THE JUDGE IN THIS CASE
IS THAT THE CITY OF CHICAGO HAS
A CUSTOM PRACTICE OF POLICY TO
NOT TRAIN ON THESE POLICIES AND
THEREFORE LEADS TO
UNCONSTITUTIONAL PRACTICES.
>> RASHAWN LINDSEY WHAT IMPACT
DO YOU THINK BEING FREQUENTLY
STOPPED AND FRISKED BY C.P.D.
OFFICER HAS ON THE PEOPLE IN THE
COMMUNITY?
NOT JUST BY THOSE WHO EXPERIENCE
IT BUT THOSE WHO WITNESS IT AND
KNOW ABOUT IT?
>> THERE ARE ALREADY DISTRUST IN
THE COMMUNITY OF THE POLICE.
THE FREQUENT STOPS AND THE
FRISKS FOR NO REASON IS ONLY
STRESSING IT FURTHER.
NO ONE WANTS TO CALL THE POLICE,
AND POLICE CAN'T BE TRUSTED AND
THEY WON'T HANDLE IT WELL.
IT IS A ROLE OF TRUST.
>> WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE
COME OF THIS LAWSUIT?
>> WELL, CLEARLY THERE HAS TO BE
SOME ABSOLUTE DEEP CULTURAL
CHANGE.
WE ARE NOT ONLY TALKING ABOUT
THE CLASS PERIOD THAT WAS
CERTIFIED BY THE JUDGE.
BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DECADES
AND DECADES OF A LONGSTANDING
CULTURE OF MISTRUST BETWEEN
COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND POLICE.
PEOPLE ASK WELL, WHY DO PEOPLE
RUN?
WHY DO PEOPLE PANIC WITH POLICE
ENCOUNTERS?
WE KNOW THE CONTINUED DRIFT OF
STOP AND FRISK AND DISTUFT HAS
LED TO THIS.
IT'S LED TO MIDDLE INCOME FLIGHT
FROM THE CITY OF CHICAGO.
SO UNLESS WE MAKE THE CHANGES
NECESSARY WHICH INCLUDE
OBVIOUSLY A VERY COMPREHENSIVE
TRAINING PRACTICE AS TO WHAT IS
REASONABLE ARCTICABLE SUSPICION
WHEN A PERSON CAN BE STOPPED AND
REGAIN THE TRUST OF PEOPLE LYCRA
SEAN, IN THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE
IN THE CITY THEN WE WILL SEE
SYSTEMIC CHANGE.
UNTIL THEN WE WON'T HAVE CHANGE
AND THAT IS WHY WE WANT CITY
HALL TO COME TO THE TABLE.
WE WILL WALK THERE AND WE WANT
CHANGE TO HAPPEN SO THAT WE CAN
BE THE CITY THAT WE SAY WE ARE.
WE ARE A GREAT CITY.
LET'S BE ONE.
>> AND RASHAWN LINDSEY, WHAT IS
YOUR MESSAGE TO PEOPLE WHO ARE
INTERESTED IN POSSIBLY BEING A
PART OF THE SUIT?
>> WELL, NUMBER ONE, I WOULD SAY
REPORT IT.
IF YOU BELIEVE SOMETHING UNJUST
HAPPENED TO YOU, REPORT IT
WHETHER IT BE ANONYMOUS OR PUT
YOUR NAME OUT THERE.
NUMBER TWO, LOOK BACK HOW YOU
WERE STOPPED AND ASK YOURSELF IF
YOUR RIGHTS WERE VIOLATED.
AND KNOW YOUR RIGHTS.
AS LONG AS YOU KNOW YOUR RIGHTS