Stop and Frisk

This short documentary tells the story of an ordinary teen from Brooklyn named Kasiem. In the video, he shares his encounters with the New York Police Department and how he, his friends, family and neighbors have all been affected by the NYPD's stop and frisk policy. He describes the difficulty people have doing normal things like going out to the supermarket or  even going to a friend's house because of the fear of being harassed by the police.

The colour of a person's skin should not matter, but unfortunately, it still does. Statistics showed that in 2013,  approximately 8/10 New Yorkers stopped by the police were either black or Latino, and 9/10 were completely innocent (NYCLU). These statistics prove that the stop-and-frisk policy  does more bad than good and should therefore be stopped; This practice only leads to fear and lack of trust especially between communities of colour and the authority.

Kasiem's story and these statistics should serve as a wake up call to everyone; racism exists today and will exist for a very long time. It is present in our communities, our schools and even our homes.
But, in relation to the video, the racism and the discrimination that exists on a higher scale within the enforcement of policies and laws is the real problem as it is being disregarded and ignored.

There is no simple solution; but what people are able to do now is educate themselves, raise awareness, and then teach others. "No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin...people must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love"- Nelson Mandela