Acclaimed Attorney and Activist Examines “Civil Liberties in New York City”  — Including the New York Police Department’s Troubled Search and Detention and Taxi/Livery Inspection Programs

WHO: Donna Lieberman, Executive Director, New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), will be the featured speaker at Metropolitan College of New York’s “Urban Dialogue” series on July 12, 2011. Lieberman will discuss “Civil Liberties in New York City” and the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) troubled Stop-And-Frisk Program.

The NYCLU is widely recognized as the state’s leading voice for freedom, justice and equality, advocating for those whose rights and liberties have been denied, especially for those most marginalized by society.

WHY: From January to March, the NYPD recorded 183,326 stop-and-frisk encounters in New York City. More than 161,000 of those stopped and interrogated were completely innocent. This first quarter report reflects the highest number of stops over a three-month period since the Police Department began reporting data on its beleaguered stop-and-frisk program.  In fact, less than 12% of all stops resulted in an arrest or summons, according to figures recently released by the NYPD.   Astonishingly, 84% of those stopped by police were black or Latino.

Last week, the NYCLU filed a federal lawsuit challenging the NYPD’s unlawful practice of detaining, questioning and searching innocent New Yorkers – particularly blacks, Latinos and other non-whites – who are riding in livery cars. The lawsuit maintains that the NYPD is using its Taxi/Livery Inspection Program (TRIP) to expand the reach of its unconstitutional stop-and-frisk program.

WHAT:  MCNY’s “Urban Dialogue” is a forum in which scholars, legislators, policy makers, students and citizens exchange ideas and discuss issues and trends that affect New York City and other urban centers across the nation. Topics cover a spectrum of ideas, theories and viewpoints that inform and/or influence urban policy.

“Urban Dialogue” is hosted by Dean Humphrey Crookendale, School of Public Affairs and Administration, MCNY.

WHEN: Tuesday, July 12, 2011­ 6:00 p.m.

WHERE: Metropolitan College of New York

431 Canal St, 11the Floor Conference Center
New York, NY 10013

About Donna Lieberman:

Donna Lieberman has been executive director of the NYCLU since December 2001. She’s worked with the NYCLU since 1988, having also served as a founder/director of the NYCLU Reproductive Rights Project from 1990 to 2000.  Under Ms. Lieberman’s leadership, the NYCLU has expanded the scope and depth of its work, supplementing the pursuit of litigation with an aggressive legislative advocacy and a field organizing program. Ms. Lieberman began her public interest legal career as a criminal defense lawyer in the South Bronx office of the Legal Aid Society, and she later acted as executive director of the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys. She also served on the faculty of the Urban Legal Studies Program at City College for nearly a decade.