Cornel West Convicted of Disorderly Conduct Over "Stop and Frisk" Protests

1 year ago

West and 19 other protestors protested the controversial NYPD practice.

Princeton University professor Cornel West and 19 other activists who protested against the NYPD's "Stop and Frisk" Law were convicted of disorderly conduct by a judge last week, according to the Associated Press.

A judge convicted all the defendants in one of the city's biggest political protests ever. The protests was held last year on October 21.

The stop and frisk law allows police to stop, question and frisk hundreds of thousands of people annually without cause. Most of those stopped and frisked are minorities.

"(The court) did justice. I disagree, but that is what democracy is all about," West said after court.

Convicted of an offense that is classified as a violation, not a crime, he and 18 of the others were sentenced to time served, the relatively brief period they were in custody after their arrests. One defendant, a performance artist who had gotten into a vehement exchange with prosecutors on the witness stand, was sentenced to two days of community service.

[ALSO READ: Video Of Stop And Frisk Beating]

The demonstrators stood in front of a Harlem police precinct, carrying signs and chanting slogans opposing the stop-and-frisk tactic.

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