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In an effort to tout NYPD’s “Stop & Frisk” policy, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg spoke at the First Baptist Full Gospel Church of Brownsville before a black congregation in Brooklyn on Sunday to make his most forceful defense of the controversial practice yet.

STORY: Is He Serious? Bloomberg Stands Behind Stop & Frisk Policy 

Bloomberg argued that “Stop & Frisk” had helped make New York the safest big city in the country, while acknowledging that the police needed to treat those whom they stopped with greater respect.

Bloomberg told the all-black congregation: 

“We are not going to walk away from a strategy that we know saves lives…At the same time, we owe it to New Yorkers to ensure that stops are properly conducted and carried out in a respectful way.”

Although the mayor has defended “Stop & Frisk” in recent months, Sunday was the first time he gave a full speech on the topic.

When the conversation turned to weapons and violent crimes, Bloomberg said: 

“If we stopped people based on census numbers, we would stop many fewer criminals, recover many fewer weapons and allow many more violent crimes to take place.” 

Opponents of “Stop & Frisk” have voiced their concerns about the controversial measure, saying that it unfairly targets blacks and Latinos.

Civil Rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton voiced his concerns after Bloomberg’s speech via a Facebook statement: 

The Mayor’s speech today at a Black church on Sunday did not address the racial profiling and violation of civil rights and civil liberties of Blacks and Latinos, and in particular, of the youth in New York City.

National Action Network has worked with the Mayor and Police Commissioner in fighting crime and have hosted both at our “House of Justice” and have even engaged in successful gun buyback programs.

We feel, however, that the Stop and Frisk policy robs people who are innocent of their rights as citizens and does not lead to a reduction in crime.

The data clearly establishes that it does not even lead to a large confiscation of firearms. 88% of the people stopped are totally innocent of any criminal activity.

That is why we have joined in coordinating over 200 organizations, including our fellow co-chairs 1199 SEIU and the NAACP, in a silent march down 5th avenue protesting Stop and Frisk and racial profiling next Sunday.

The Mayor should engage in an open and serious dialogue with those in the civil rights community around this issue so we can fight crime as a city but at the same time not do it at the cost of people’s civil rights and civil liberties.

Children cannot be born in this city where upon birth some are deemed citizens and others deemed suspects. We call on the Mayor to enter serious dialogue around those concerns.

Reverend Al Sharpton, President of National Action Network.

Rev. Al is correct; the issue isn’t reducing crime, but promoting unfair racial profiling and violates the civil rights and civil liberties of Blacks and Latinos in New York City.