After days of rigorous debate over law enforcement's institution of Stop and Frisk in poor communities of color, DJ Envy declared on Thursday [September 29], that he's had a change of heart on his position supporting a modified version of the policy. The Power 105.1 radio host announced the shift via Instagram, following an in-depth discussion the show's hosts had during the morning's episode of The Breakfast Club. It was in processing the argument posed by their politically active guest, singer John Legend, who said, "We have rights to walk through the streets without unreasonable search and seizure. That's the fourth amendment," that Envy says he was challenged to reconsider his thoughts on the former NYPD tactic.
"I had an opportunity to have a wonderful conversation with him today where he provided me and our listeners with a great deal of useful information regarding stop and frisk. This information played a large part in me revisiting my thoughts and opinions regarding stop and frisk," Envy wrote.
In his message, Envy confessed to having once been an opponent of Stop and Frisk, but felt forced to give second thought to where he stood on the issue after a recent attempt on his life. He expressed having felt conflicted over the virtue of the policy, considering he knows what it's like to have been profiled by police, all the while fearing that he or a loved one could potentially lose their lives due to senseless gun violence.
Envy would reiterate his stand that some kind of middle ground ought to be able to be met so that Stop and Frisk is administered fairly, but he then cited the abundance of information he's received since prompting a backlash over his position on Tuesday, and he credited it all with helping him better understand it's unconstitutional nature. "After several conversations within my community with John Legend and with my wife, I am not too proud to say that my views on Stop and Frisk have changed.. I spoke too soon..," he wrote.
Source: instagram.com
