Gotham Gazette

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Citizens Union

Public Safety

Delving the Murky World of Police Informants

Feb 20, 2008

It all started with a careless conversation between two police officers. Last September, Brooklyn South narcotics officer Sean Johnstone told a fellow officer that he had paid his confidential informants with

 

The Fight Against Street Harassment

Jan 24, 2008

When Emily May set up the Web site Holla Back with six friends in October 2005, she didn't expect much response. "We thought, 'Wow, this is a cute idea,'" said May. Inspired

 

Who's Stopped? Who's Frisked?

Dec 17, 2007

While New Yorkers applaud the police for the drop in crime and are generally satisfied with police performance, many city residents firmly believe the police use race as a

 

A Minor Case Changes Police Practices

Dec 12, 2007

Every once in a while a case arises in the law that seems ordinary and unlikely to change law or policy or mean much to anyone but the individuals directly involved. These

 

The Fight Against Drunk Driving

Nov 19, 2007

  Eugenio Cidron drank so much at a party at Chelsea Piers last December that he mistook the bike path along the Hudson River for the West Side Highway. After

 

Gun Laws Confront Legal Challenges

Nov 16, 2007

Laws that prohibit gun possession may be unconstitutional in Washington, D.C., but they are not unconstitutional in Brooklyn. And that is bad news for Rashawn Handsome. Handsome was arrested when police showed up

 

Counting Convicts

Oct 31, 2007

Residents of Groveland, New York, upstate in Livingston County, have something to get excited about. According to a report put out this year, 62 percent of the town’s population is incarcerated. That,

 

Police Limit ‘Hanging Out’

Oct 17, 2007

My friend and I were walking toward the subway, relieved to be out of school, when we heard a voice behind us. “You,” the voice said. It was deep and authoritative. I

 

Policing the Police

Oct 09, 2007

The case of two civil rights lawyers who say they were victims of police abuse has attracted outrage among ministers and other black leaders who say that New Yorkers, particularly

 

A Dwindling Police Presence

Oct 09, 2007

Photograph (cc) 2006 Rabih Nassar Imagine walking alone along a dark street at night, perhaps heading back to your apartment after picking up some groceries. All of a sudden, you notice