Here are more of our youth art submissions from Abraham Smith, 19 (top) and Nelson Jesus, 17 (bottom).
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FIRST PLACE WINNER OF OUR ART CONTEST- CORY SMITH, 16!
As a 16 year old, black and latino male, I fall directly into the target group of the Stop and Frisk policy. I did this montage because I have experienced the abuse of stop and frisk personally. First and foremost I am a student; a student that happens to be Latino. However in the eyes of the NYPD, I am a hoodlum. I am a hoodlum because I wear my pants lower than they do. I am a hoodlum because I have tattoos and my skin is tan, because I am a part of the public education system. I am a hoodlum because the NYPD says I am. So yes, I will be stopped. Yes, I will be ‘phased’ and frisked for any contraband or weapons I may have; because I am a 16 year old African American, Latino male from the South Bronx. My piece illustrates the propaganda behind Stop and Frisk. The NYPD wants you to believe that young men such as myself are a threat to a peaceful society. However it is the NYPD that is a threat to our urban culture, our peaceful society. I appear in the photograph as the preyed upon, not the predator; a victim of discrimination. It is important to our youth that stop and frisk be retracted, or amended in some great way, before the younger generation is brought into a society that is okay with being harassed based solely on appearance. Discrimination must not become a social norm.
Check out our stop-and-frisk youth art showcase at the Brecht Forum!
Teens are disproportionately targeted by stop-and-frisk in NYC!
Check out our video to learn about our stop-and-frisk art contest! SUBMIT YOUR ART TODAY!
From NYCLU- stop-and-frisk disproportionately impacts minority communities. Make a statement with art!
More and more young people are being stopped by the police. MAKE A STATEMENT WITH ART!
“Mayor Michael Bloomberg needs to recognize that zero-tolerance policing is not the panacea his Police Department seems to think it is. The police need to spend more time tracking down serious crime and less on minor offenses. There is nothing minor about a record that can follow people for the rest of their lives. ” Read more.
