'Teachable Moment' Missed Lesson on Free Speech | Nat Hentoff | Cato Institute: Commentary

'Teachable Moment' Missed Lesson on Free Speech | Nat Hentoff | Cato Institute: Commentary: "There's a fine line between disorderly conduct and freedom of speech. It can get tough out there, but I tell my officers, 'Don't make matters worse by throwing handcuffs on someone. Bite your tongue ..."

"An arrest he said is justified when:
'The set of circumstances ... will lead a reasonable and prudent person to believe that a crime has or is about to be committed and that the person in question is involved in a significant manner.' Handcuffs are not warranted, he added, by anything short of that."

"In May of this year, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) reported, based on police data, that New York City Police Department officers 'stopped and interrogated New Yorkers 171,094 times between January and March' - and more than 151,000 of those individuals were sent on their way without charges. Approximately 89,000 of those stopped were black, 56,000 were Latino, and 16,000 were white.

Donna Lieberman, the head of the NYCLU, added: "These New Yorkers' personal information is now stored in an NYPD database."

'The NYPD is, in effect, building a massive database of black and brown New Yorkers,' said NYCLU Associate Legal Director Christopher Dunn. Based on what information on those who are not charged? Their color!"

When there are no charges then the info should be deleted.