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Looking at 100 million stops nationwide, a study found "police stopped and searched black and Latino drivers on the basis of less evidence than used in stopping white drivers, who are searched less often but are more likely to be found with illegal items." https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/inside-100-million-police-traffic-stops-new-evidence-racial-bias-n980556
That study said white people "are more likely to be found with illegal items" and cops are like, "sure... but that's only well researched scientific data of like a 100 million traffic stops."
A Minneapolis study from a few years after Philando Castile's death found that in a nine month period, of the 5,113 traffic stops conducted by police, Black people made up 54 percent of those stopped despite being only 19 percent of the city's population. https://www.startribune.com/hennepin-county-report-finds-stark-racial-disparities-in-traffic-stops/495324581/
At that rate, cops don't need to stop Black people, they need to stop the company that keeps making those stinky cardboard pine trees.
What's messed up is that cops seem to know traffic stops are problematic.
After a cop killed George Floyd, @CityLab found Minneapolis police were "making an average of 80% fewer traffic stops each week since May 25, the day of Floyd’s death." https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-minneapolis-police-stops/
After a cop killed George Floyd, @CityLab found Minneapolis police were "making an average of 80% fewer traffic stops each week since May 25, the day of Floyd’s death." https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-minneapolis-police-stops/
George Floyd wasn't even killed in a traffic stop, but his death had Minneapolis cops acting like that kid who cleans up his room and makes his bed because it's report card day and he doesn't feel too confident about that math final.
How are you supposed to have faith in an institution that claimed it would reform itself after police murdered Philando Castile in a traffic stop in the same county, just miles away?
Mary Moriarty is the public defender for Hennepin County, where both Daunte Wright and Philando Castile were killed and talks about the need for reforming traffic stops. https://twitter.com/MaryMoriarty/status/1381586725739229186
Moriarty has written about how in 1996, the Supreme Court deemed pretext traffic stops as constitutional, which begs the question "why?"
What grave threat is lurking inside the cars of people with air fresheners that this country feels unable to control?
https://www.minnpost.com/community-voices/2019/06/traffic-stops-as-criminal-investigations-pretext-stops-should-be-disallowed-in-minnesota/
What grave threat is lurking inside the cars of people with air fresheners that this country feels unable to control?
https://www.minnpost.com/community-voices/2019/06/traffic-stops-as-criminal-investigations-pretext-stops-should-be-disallowed-in-minnesota/
More importantly, why continue to increase budgets and protections for policing that disproportionately targets people of color as "threats to safety," when we know safety more often comes from things like access to affordable healthcare, quality schools, food and employment?
Daunte Wright didn't deserve to die because a cop wanted to go fishing for a reason to criminalize him.
Like Derek Chauvin and Jeronimo Yanez, the officer involved in Daunte Wright's killing will probably face a trial.
They'll be called a "bad apple," but at some point we've got to realize those may have never been "apples."
And whatever "tree" they came from is rotten to the root.
They'll be called a "bad apple," but at some point we've got to realize those may have never been "apples."
And whatever "tree" they came from is rotten to the root.
