"Forgive many of us for questioning apologies a decade late and on the eve of a presidential run. It is not nearly enough to erase the legacy of the systemic abuses of stop, question, and frisk on the people whose lives were harmed by over-policing, nor the communities criminalized by it.
"As recently as this year, Mayor Bloomberg was defending this position, and while apologizing for wrongs is a necessary quality in strong leadership, a more meaningful action would include developing and advocating a real plan for restorative justice in those communities and aiding officers whose careers and lives faced challenges because of their public opposition to the policy. As I said in fighting the abuses of stop and frisk, in ultimately overriding the Mayor's veto, we can have better policing and safer communities at the same time, and the years since then have proved it.
"Stop and frisk was just one of many tactics pursued by the Bloomberg administration which had a detrimental impact on lower income New Yorkers and communities of more color. On housing, on education, and more, the question of those years is not just 'were they good policies' but 'who were they good for.' I expect a deep reflection on those policies in the coming weeks and months."
