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USA: Arrested for Driving While Black?
Originally posted in IGC member conference: labr.newsline
Date: August 19, 1998
Posted by: [email protected]
/* Written 11:25 AM Aug 19, 1998 by [email protected] in labr.newsline */
/* ---------- "ACTION ALERT: Have you ever been st" ---------- */
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 08:04:57 -0400
From: Cyber Organizer <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Subject: ACTION ALERT: Have you ever been stopped for "Driving While Black?"
Please help spread the word about this important issue. Thank you!
+++-------------------------------------------------------------------++
ACTION ALERT: Have you ever been stopped for �Driving While Black?�
Scores of African-American males - including prominent athletes, Members
of Congress, actors and business leaders - have experienced the
humiliation of being stopped on the nation's roads for no other reason
than the alleged traffic offense derisively referred to as "Driving
While Black." Yet no agency has ever attempted to document how
widespread the problem is, even though 1995 Maryland survey found that
73 percent of the cars stopped and searched were driven by
African-Americans, although they make up only 14 percent of the people
driving along the interstate.
The "Traffic Stops Statistics Act of 1997" (HR 118), sponsored by Rep.
John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), would encourage police departments to keep
detailed records of traffic stops, including the race and ethnicity of
the person stopped. The Justice Department would be charged with
collecting the data and making a determination on the scope of this
problem nationwide.
While the House passed HR 118 last March, the Senate has yet to take
action on the bill. Urge your Senators to encourage passage of this
important legislation by sending a FREE FAX from the ACLU website at:
http://www.aclu.org/action/drivingblack.html
The FREE FAX contains a field where you can personalize your letter, and
we encourage you to use it to tell about any personal experiences with
this issue.
--
For the latest info on how to take action for civil liberties,
sign up for the ACLU's Action E-mail Network at
http://www.aclu.org/action/mailist.html
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