Community group calls for more NYPD reform

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - The public is being asked to work with the NYPD so it can do a better job protecting civil rights. Communities around the city are joining in the conversation.

Chanting "Our communities, our solutions," community leaders and some public officials are calling on the public to get involved in resolving in what they call continued abuse by the NYPD against minorities.

Gwen Carr is the mother of Eric Garner, who was killed by police two years ago. She says stop and frisk continues to be a problem even if the numbers are down.

In 2013, a federal judge ruled the NYPD's stop-and-frisk practices racially profiled people and were unconstitutional. The NYPD modified its procedures. However, some feel minorities are still disproportionately stopped. So a group called Our Communities, Our Solutions will be holding community meetings beginning Thursday to gather ideas from the public on how the NYPD can change its procedures.

The NYPD says that as of August 31, there were 9,681 stop, question and frisks compared to more than 684,000 in all of 2011.

Police say blacks were stopped 54 percent of the time. They make up 60 percent of violent crime suspects. Hispanics were stopped 30 percent of the time. They are 30 percent of violent crime suspects. Whites were stopped 10 percent of the time. They are 7 percent of violent crime suspects. An Asians were stopped 6 percent. They make up 4 percent of violent crime suspects.

The NYPD says the stop, question and frisk numbers are at an all-time low.