A trial challenging the New York City Police Department’s controversial “stop-and-frisk” policy opened Monday with testimony from young African-American men who say they have been stopped and searched without cause. For the next six weeks, Judge Shira Scheindlin will hear arguments about whether the NYPD’s practices are unconstitutional and unfairly target people of color. Nearly 90 percent of people stopped by police in 2011 were black and Latino, and nine out of 10 were neither arrested nor ticketed. Plaintiffs in the class action suit are seeking changes to police practices, including a court-appointed monitor. Juan Cartagena, president of LatinoJustice, spoke at a news conference outside the courthouse.

Juan Cartagena: “Philadelphia is watching. Newark is watching us — Paterson, New Orleans, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco. That’s because policing, policing in urban America, is on trial. Policing in urban America is at issue. Policing in how black and brown people are treated is on trial. Do not forget that what’s happening in New York City by the NYPD is being watched closely by other police departments all over the country.”