Guest post by New York Communities for Change
UPDATE: The NY City Council just voted 34-15 to override Mayor Bloomberg's veto of 1080, which would prohibit racial profiling and establish oversight on it for stop and frisk procedures. This is enough for the 2/3 majority.
Thanks so much to everyone who called in to speak out against racial profiling! You're all terrific!
Several weeks ago, the New York City Council took a historic step in protecting civil rights in New York City by passing the Community Safety Act. This legislation would prohibit racial profiling as a tactic used by the NYPD in their Stop and Frisk policy, give victims of profiling the right to take their case to court, and appoint an Inspector General to oversee Stop and Frisk and ensure that profiling ends once and for all.
It should come as no surprise that Mayor Bloomberg swiftly vetoed this bill.
But we can have the final say: Today, the City Council will vote on overriding Bloomberg's veto. New York Communities for Change, along with our allies Make The Road Action Fund, VOCAL Action Fund, and NYCLU, have collected thousands of signatures, and generated thousands of phone calls to the City Council demanding the CSA be passed.
Here's how you can help this effort: In the first vote, 17 Council Members voted no on the measure prohibiting racial profiling. Let's make the message clear to these Council Members that they have a chance to do the right thing, and that the whole country is watching.
You can send a message to all 17 Members here, or you can call one or more of the 17 members - their contact info is listed below.
Let's make Civil Rights history. And let's give Mayor Bloomberg our going away present.
Council Member Elizabeth Crowley - (718) 366-3900
Council Member Lewis Fidler - (718) 241-9330
Council Member James Gennaro - (718) 217-4969
Council Member Vincent Gentile - (718) 748-5200
Council Member David Greenfield - (718) 853-2704
Council Member Daniel Halloran - (718) 631-6703
Council Member Vincent Ignizio - (718) 984-5151
Council Member Peter Koo - (718) 888-8747
Council Member Karen Koslowitz - (718) 544-8800
Council Member Michael Nelson - (718) 368-9176
Council Member James Oddo - (718) 980-1017
Council Member Christine Quinn - (718) 564-7757
Council Member Dominic Recchia - (718) 373-9673
Council Member Joel Rivera - (718) 842-8100
Council Member Eric Ulrich - (718) 738-1083
Council Member James Vacca - (718) 931-1721
Council Member Peter Vallone - (718) 274-4500
