March 13, 2014

Zachary Carter

Corporation Counsel

New York City Law Department

100 Church Street

New York, NY 10007

Dear Mr. Carter:

We, the members of the New York City Council Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and

Transgender (LGBT) Caucus, are writing to ask that you immediately withdraw your

second interlocutory appeal in Pinter vs. City of New York, et. al. We further urge you to

sit down with Mr. Pinters lawyer to work out a settlement rather than perpetuating the injustice done to Mr. Pinter by prolonging litigation.

It is time to move beyond the policing policies of the previous administration that raised

serious concerns about the civil liberties of people of color, youth, and the LGBT

community. These concerns led the City Council last year to take the lead on this issue

and pass the Community Safety Act, which specifically prohibits police profiling based

on sexual orientation. Recognizing the need to move us beyond the era of unfettered and

unconstitutional stop and frisk, the City recently announced that it is dropping its appeal

in Floyd, et al. v. City of New York, et al. and settling the Central Park Five case.

As LGBT New Yorkers and representatives of sizeable LGBT populations, we are deeply

troubled by what our city has forced Mr. Pinter to endure. His lawsuit involves insidious

entrapment of a gay man. Such policing tactics, especially when a gay man is involved,

bring up very painful memories of an oppressive time in this country when such actions

were even more widespread. That such injustices are still taking place strikes a very

painful chord with us.

Mr. Pinter is an extremely brave individual who is greatly admired in the LGBT

community for standing up to injustice when many others, overwhelmed by shame, were

not able to do so. We strongly encourage you to act to right this wrong.

THE COUNCIL

OF

THE CITY OF NEW YORK

Sincerely,

Daniel Dromm

25th

District

Jimmy Van Bramer

Majority Leader

26th

District

Rosie Mendez

Chair, LGBT Caucus

2nd

District

Corey Johnson

3rd

District

Ritchie Torres

15th

District

Carlos Menchaca

38th

District