Task Force joins in NYC’s Silent March Against Racial Profiling

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is participating today in End Stop & Frisk: The Silent March Against Racial Profiling. The Task Force has joined the march to apply pressure on the New York Police Department and New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg to curtail the stop-and-frisk policy.

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey says:

We join with people from all backgrounds who are marching through the streets of New York City today to protest the epidemic of stop-and-frisk targeting people of color, particularly young men of color. Keeping the streets safe does not mean giving law enforcement free rein to harass, demean and abuse people who are simply trying to go about their business. The streets should be safe for all, including those black and Latino men and women who face constant police harassment because of the color of their skin. LGBT people, especially those of color, know painfully well what it’s like to be targeted for simply being who they are. We stand united against racial profiling and police excess.

Task Force pushes for end to racial profiling at all levels

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has long advocated for racial and economic justice. This includes lobbying for passage of the End Racial Profiling Act, a federal law that seeks to end racial profiling by law enforcement officials and ensure that individuals are not prejudicially stopped, investigated, arrested or detained based on their race, ethnicity, national origin or religion.

The Task Force also participated in a June 5 press conference in front of the historic Stonewall Inn, where a backlash against police harassment in June 1969 launched the modern LGBT rights movement. The Task Force joined representatives from civil rights, labor and other LGBT groups to show solidarity for the growing campaign against stop and frisk.

The Task Force believes the fight for LGBT equality is inextricably tied to the effort to end racism, and encourages supporters of LGBT rights to work toward racial and economic justice for all.