Lhota, De Blasio Speak On Stop-And-Frisk Ruling Appeal
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - A group of elected officials spoke out Monday against the city's legal challenge to the recent stop-and-frisk lawsuit ruling.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Democratic mayoral nominee Bill de Blasio joined activist groups on the City Hall steps in opposition of delays in carrying out the court ruling.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg appealed the ruling, saying the NYPD does not racially profile.
Public Advocate-elect Letitia James underlined the fact that the court found the controversial NYPD practice involved racial profiling and labeled the practice unconstitutional.
Lhota, De Blasio Speak On Stop-And-Frisk Ruling Appeal
"Mr. Mayor, respect the law, respect the constitution, the gig is up," she said.
But Republican mayoral nominee Joe Lhota said he thinks the city ought to continue to appeal the federal judge's ruling and not implement her orders until the appeal plays out.
"I think it's wrong to say that Judge Scheindlin's ruling must be put in in spite of the fact that there are significant and, in fact, majority of New Yorkers, according to the poll in the New York Times that came out last week that say that they are in support of stop-and-frisk. We need to do everything to make sure that we keep this city safe," Lhota told WCBS 880's Rich Lamb. "I agree with the mayor that we need to move forward and we need to appeal Judge Scheindlin's ruling which, I think, is not based on the facts of the case that were presented."
The Republican added that crime has been going up in the city over the past two months. But de Blasio said Lhota's numbers are skewed.
"That's intellectually dishonest of him. The fact is, the judge came to a decision a couple of months ago then the city appealed the decision. Nothing has changed in terms of policy and practice and so for him, for Lhota, to suggest that you can see something in the statistics when there hasn't been any change in the NYPD's policies, that's obviously insincere," de Blasio told WCBS 880's Steve Scott on Monday. "I think he's more fundamentally wrong on the policy."
WCBS 880 Anchor Steve Scott's Full Interview With Bill de Blasio:
Eye On Politics: Bill De Blasio
De Blasio added the city as a whole and communities individually will be safer as the relationship between police and residents strengthens.
"I think he is a philosphical Republican and that's why I disagree with him so much," de Blasio said of Lhota.
During the interview in the Eye On Politics segment, de Blasio clarified a description of himself last week as a fiscal conservative that raised some eyebrows.
"I am a fiscally responsible progressive," de Blasio told Scott. "I'm someone who can count. I'm someone who understands that you first have to pay the bills in order to do all of the things that the government has to do for people and to build a stronger economy for everyone."
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