A man who has twice sued the New York Police Department over stop-and-frisk practices has settled with the city for $10,000.
David Ourlicht, 32, initially sued the department in 2008, alleging he was wrongfully stopped, as part of a class action suit that helped curb “stop and frisk,” a policing tactic that has been found to disproportionately affect minorities.
Ourlicht sued the city for the second time 10 years later after he and a friend were stopped by two police officers who accused them of smoking marijuana. Ourlicht settled his second case with the city for $10,000 in early February, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.
“There’s no amount of money that can make up for these type of experiences. But something is better than nothing,” Ourlicht said.
Both men were frisked, but nothing was found, according to Ourlicht’s federal lawsuit. Ourlicht said he was charged with destruction of evidence and held in a precinct for six hours before the charges were dropped.
Ourlicht, who is of black and white heritage, said his experience of being wrongfully stopped and arrested shows the NYPD continues to target people of color.
The NYPD did not immediately respond to the Daily News’ request for comment.
(AP)
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One Response
Most of that will go to the lawyer. If you are a member of the bar, this is a feature if not a bug. Perhaps there is a not publicized policy of making arrests without adequate evidence to prosecute in order to provide a parnassah to lawyers.
Why criminals should be given money when they get busted is obviously absurd from a public policy point of view, and note that the amount is trivial. The police should not arrest people without evidence.