DC Council staffers refuse to sign petition against jump-outs by DC police.

On Dec 16, DC Council staffers walked out claiming solidarity with the protests against police murder in Ferguson, New York, and here in DC, yet refused to sign the DC Ferguson petition against jump-outs. Does this mean the DC Council wants jump-outs to continue, so long as they do not escalate all the way to chokeholds or police shootings?

DC had it's own version of New York's infamous "stop and frisk," known as "jump-outs." In a jump-out, heavily armed plainclothes cops pile 4 or 5 into cars, and descend on clusters of African-American youth to intimidate them into submitting to unlawful searches. In response, DC Ferguson organizers have begun circulating this petition against the jump-out squads.

The petition itself

https://www.change.org/p/washington-d-c-city-council-take-a-stand-agains...

Text of the petition below:

Take a Stand Against "Jump-Out" Squads in Washington, D.C.

DCFerguson

The DCFerguson movement and the residents of Washington, D.C. demand that D.C. City Council immediately pass a resolution taking a stand against the use of "Jump-Out" squads, a racially biased form of policing. "Jump-Outs" are a paramilitary tactic in which unmarked police vehicles carry 3 or more officers not wearing the standard police uniform. Their objective is to stop and intimidate ordinary citizens into submitting to interrogation or an unwarranted search. This kind of militarized tactic that criminalizes entire communities and creates end-runs around our constitutional rights should stop immediately.

Letter to Washington, D.C. City Council

The DCFerguson movement and the residents of Washington, D.C. demand that D.C. City Council immediately pass a resolution taking a stand against the use of "Jump-Out" squads, a racially biased form of policing. "Jump-Outs" are a paramilitary tactic in which unmarked police vehicles carry 3 or more officers not wearing the standard police uniform. Their objective is to stop and intimidate ordinary citizens into submitting to interrogation or an unwarranted search. This kind of militarized tactic that criminalizes entire communities and creates end-runs around our constitutional rights should stop immediately.