PROP’s Latest Court Monitoring Data (January — March 10, 2023)

Dear Friends: Our Court Monitoring Project continues its work aimed at exposing the NYPD’s blatantly racist practices. As mentioned in previous mailings, perhaps PROP should’ve called this effort the Police Monitoring Project since it essentially tracks arrest practices by NYC cops.

In fact, PROP is the only independent source for NYPD arrest numbers — all other stats re NYC arrests that you see or hear online, in the papers, on TV or radio are provided by the NYPD itself.

Here are our updated recent findings, damning as always:

In visits that PROP has made through March 10th, 2023 to the arraignment parts in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx criminal courts, we observed 431 cases. 398 of those cases, about 92.3%, involved New Yorkers of color. In 403 cases, or about 93.5%, defendants left court & returned to the community.

** Common charges included: disorderly conduct, petty theft, controlled substance in the 7th degree, suspended license, forged instrument in the 3rd degree, mischief in the 4th degree, and assault 3 (a misdemeanor).

As the numbers show, the vast majority of the cases observed involved a New Yorker of color. The high percentage of people that the court releases reflect the on the ground reality that most NYPD arrests are on petty charges not involving any risk to public safety. As we have previously noted, the minor offenses that our cops arrest mainly black & brown NYers for have been virtually decriminalized in white areas.

If you would like to help expose racist and abusive policing practices in our city, please feel free to reach out to us to become a court monitor.

As always, many thanks for your interest & support.

Bob & Jos