“Police don’t respect the rights of young people.” —Richie Perez, National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights

“We’re not out there to antagonize or oppress, we’re out there to maintain the peace.” —Dennis Fitzgerald, New York City police officer

One summer night in 1995 in New York City, teenager Rance Scully and three of his friends were walking home from a party when they noticed a police car following them. The four teenagers were doing nothing wrong, so Scully convinced his friends that they should turn around and go talk with the officers. When they headed for the patrol car, the officers suddenly blinded them with a police light and ordered them to stop and spread their legs. Three cops jumped out of the car with guns drawn and surrounded the frightened teens. After aggressively interrogating and searching...