Davis v. The City of New York

Background

This order concerns related proceedings about the New York City Police Department’s stop-and-frisk practices. The court previously held that those practices violated plaintiffs’ rights under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments. It ordered reforms and appointed an independent monitor to oversee them. The parties in Davis later adopted the remedies in that order by stipulation.

Community liaison proposal

Plaintiffs asked the court to modify the remedial order to create more opportunities for community engagement in the reform process. The monitor later submitted a proposal for a community liaison position and a job description. The monitor created a selection committee with representatives of the plaintiffs, the City, and the monitor’s team. The committee reviewed applications, selected candidates for interviews, interviewed candidates, and recommended candidates by consensus. A community advisory group also interviewed the final candidates and gave its input to the monitor.

Appointment and ruling

The court selected Germain Thompson as the community liaison. The opinion describes Thompson as a community organizer at the Legal Aid Society who conducts community education workshops and campaigns, organizes rallies and other civic activities, and has spoken about police reform, violence, and community organizing. The court stated that he would work with communities negatively affected by the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk practices and with grassroots organizations.

The court adopted the “Community Engagement Liaison Framework” and directed the community liaison to perform the role and functions described in that framework. The opinion states that the court would address plaintiffs’ separate request concerning their motion in a separate order; this order does not state a disposition of that motion.