Shop-and-Frisk (shop + stop-and-frisk)
“Stop-and_frisk” is a controversial New York City program that stops and frisks citizens, usually at random; there usually is no specific crime that is being investigated. The “stop-and-frisk” program was intended to reduce crime (such as possession of guns or illegal drugs). The stop-and-frisk program was accused of targeting blacks and Latinos, and courts have overturned part of it.
“Shop-and-frisk” (shop + stop-and-frisk) occurs when someone attempts to make a purchase in a store, but store employees and/or police detain the attempted purchaser for questions and/or frisking. The term “shop-and-frisk” was used in 2013 after blacks made purchases at stores such as Macy’s and Barneys, but were detained. “‘Shop and frisk’ incident involving Actor Forrest Whitaker at a Manhattan Deli” was cited on Twitter on February 16, 2013. “Shop and Frisk? Barneys Shopper Arrested for Being Black” was a headline on October 23, 2013.
Wikipedia: New York City stop-and-frisk program
The New York City stop-question-and-frisk program is a practice of the New York City Police Department by which police officers stop and question tens of thousands of pedestrians annually, and frisk them for weapons and other contraband. The rules for stop, question and frisk are found in New York State Criminal Procedure Law section 140.50, and are based on the decision of the United States Supreme Court in the case of Terry v. Ohio. About 684,000 people were stopped in 2011. The vast majority of these people were African-American or Latino. Some judges have found that these stops are not based on reasonable suspicion of criminal activity.
Twitter
Olanike Alabi
@OlanikeAlabi
“Shop and frisk” incident involving Actor Forrest Whitaker at a Manhattan Deli. Real “change begins with us.” http://m.nypost.com/f/mobile/news/local/manhattan/forest_whitaker_frisked_in_manhattan_jlbnkBy0YKLiYnTIC8yAKM …
2:25 PM - 16 Feb 13
Styleite
Shop and Frisk? Barneys Shopper Arrested for Being Black [Updated]
by Hannah Ongley | 10:36 am, October 23rd, 2013
Racism in high-end retail isn’t unheard of, but was taken to a new level of shittiness in April when Trayon Christian, a 19-year-old student from Queens, was arrested after purchasing a $349 Salvatore Ferragamo belt at Barneys.
Oh yeah, he was also black, which shouldn’t be relevant, but is considering it’s the only reason he was detained.
After buying the belt with his debit card and ID, Christian left the store with his new purchase. But less than a block away he was stopped by undercover officers who grabbed him and demanded how he could afford the designer item. Apparently the clerk had suspected the purchase was fraudulent and called the cops after Christian left the store.
Twitter
Andrew Kirell
@AndrewKirell
Shop and Frisk? Barneys Shopper Arrested for Being Young and Black http://www.styleite.com/media/black-student-arrested-shopping-at-barneys/ … (via @styleite)
10:48 AM - 23 Oct 13
Reuters
Macy’s joins Barneys in brewing NYC ‘shop-and-frisk’ scandal
NEW YORK | Sat Oct 26, 2013 5:15pm EDT
(Reuters) - New York’s civil rights leaders on Saturday angrily decried the city’s brewing “shop-and-frisk” scandal, in which two major retailers stand accused of profiling black shoppers who say they were detained by police after buying luxury items.
“We’ve gone from stop-and-frisk to shop-and-frisk,” said Reverend Al Sharpton, president of National Action Network, alluding to a police crime-fighting tactic that critics say amounts to racial profiling.