A group in Bed-Stuy is calling for changes in the NYPD in the wake of some high-profile cases involving deaths.
The Police Reform Organizing Project, or PROP, is a nonprofit group that is gathering support to pressure Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton to change the NYPD's so-called "broken windows" policing.
The activists gathered petition signatures on Sunday. They say they are not against police, but they are upset with some of their policies.
PROP wants local leaders to take action and move toward a law enforcement approach that collaborates with communities to help solve neighborhood problems. Their suggestions include abolishing the NYPD's quota system for arrests, halting what they say is "racially biased policing," ending arrests for minor subway infractions, and ending the surveillance of Muslim communities.
So far, PROP's petition has gained more than 17,000 signatures. They are looking for more voices so that their changes will be heard.