Home : Racial Justice : Racial Profiling

Illinois Legislator Calls for Lawsuits as DWB Bill Stalls (06/18/2000)
CHICAGO -- A story in today's Chicago Sun-Times reported that a Chicago state legislator told suburban leaders Saturday that it's time for minorities victimized by unnecessary police stops to start suing government agencies.

Minnesota Legislators Call for Statewide Data on Racial Profiling (06/15/2000)
ST. PAUL -- According to a story in today's Minneapolis Star Tribune, they sat down Wednesday, one by one, to tell Minnesota lawmakers how law enforcers stopped them, searched them and often humiliated them for no other obvious reason than the color of their skin.

San Diego Police Data Program Urged as Local Model for Other Agencies (06/15/2000)
SAN DIEGO -- According to a story in today's San Diego Union-Tribune, civil rights groups yesterday urged other local law enforcement agencies to follow the lead of the San Diego Police Department of voluntarily studying racial profiling by collecting race and ethnicity data about traffic stops.

ACLU Wins National Public Relations Award for Campaign to End Racial Profiling (06/09/2000)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union took home top honors last night at a national awards ceremony, in recognition of its public relations campaign on the issue of racial profiling in law enforcement, also known as "DWB" -- "Driving While Black or Brown."

Opposition Mounts to California Compromise on Racial Profiling (06/07/2000)
SACRAMENTO - According to a story in today's Stockton Record, the lawmaker who crafted a compromise with California Gov. Gray Davis to discourage police from singling out minorities for traffic stops vowed Tuesday to continue pushing for the legislation even though civil rights groups oppose it and several Democratic leaders have dropped their support.

Provocative New ACLU Advertising Series Uses American Icons in Message on Racial Profiling (06/02/2000)
NEW YORK--In a provocative new national advertisement, the American Civil Liberties Union presents stark evidence that racial bias is a fact of life in America, highlighting how skin color is still being used as a cause for suspicion and a sufficient reason to violate people's rights.

California Newspapers Blast Governor's DWB Deal - "Toothless," "Meaningless," "A Cop-out" (05/21/2000)
CALIFORNIA - In the latest in a series of scathing editorials appearing in newspapers throughout California in recent weeks, the San Jose Mercury News today labeled racial profiling legislation gutted at the request of Governor Gray Davis "a flimsy bill that meekly ambles between compromise and pandering."

ACLU Praises Lawmakers as Missouri Becomes Fourth State in Nation to Pass Racial Profiling Legislation (05/12/2000)
ST. LOUIS--The American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri today praised lawmakers for making Missouri the fourth state in the nation to pass legislation prohibiting racial profiling and requiring police departments statewide to keep racial statistics on all police stops.

ACLU Sues U.S. Customs Service Over Degrading Search in Case of 'Flying While Black' (05/12/2000)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union charged the U.S.Customs Service with racial profiling in a federal lawsuit filed today. The case responds to claims by the agency that the humiliating physical search of a young African-American woman at Newark Airport last year was nothing more than a routine "patdown."

Hundreds Turn Out to Condemn Racial Profiling in California Capital (04/14/2000)
SACRAMENTO - According to a story in today's Sacramento Bee, if there ever were a question of whether "DWB" -- driving while black or brown -- is a problem for racial minorities, dozens of speakers at a town hall meeting Thursday evening made it clear that it is.

Federal Appeals Court Bans Race-Based Border Stops (04/12/2000)
LOS ANGELES - According to a story in today's Los Angeles Times, Border Patrol agents may not consider an person "Hispanic appearance" as a factor in deciding whether to stop motorists for questioning near the U.S.-Mexico border, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday.

Federal Judge Exhorts Communities to Attack the "Cancer" of Racial Profiling (04/06/2000)
CHICAGO - According to a story in today's Chicago Sun-Times, U.S. District Judge Ruben Castillo lashed out Wednesday against racial prejudice but praised steps the Mount Prospect police have taken since allegations of racial profiling surfaced in the northwest suburb.

CHP Officer Blasts Racial Profiling at DWB Forum in Southern California (04/05/2000)
NORTHRIDGE-The Los Angeles Times reported today that a forum on Tuesday at Cal State Northridge featured several speakers, including a California Highway Patrol Officer, relating their experiences with racial profiling.

U.S. Senators of Both Parties Condemn Racial Profiling (03/31/2000)
WASHINGTON - The Bergen (N.J.) Record reported today that three men gave moving testimony to a Senate subcommittee Thursday on how they felt police turned their constitutional rights upside down in traffic stops motivated by one reason: race.

Horrors of Racial Profiling Recounted Before the Senate As Victims Urge Passage of Bill to Address the Problem (03/30/2000)
WASHINGTON -- A decorated Army veteran who was the victim of racial profiling by state highway patrolmen urged a Senate panel today to pass legislation that would address the serious problem of race-based traffic stops.

Washington State Enacts Bill to Combat Racial Profiling (03/24/2000)
OLYMPIA, WA -- Washington State Governor Gary Locke today signed into law a compromise version of a bill initially drafted by the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington State to attack the problem of racial profiling by police.

ACLU Applauds Legislation to Prohibit Race-Based Profiling by Customs Service (03/16/2000)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union strongly endorsed legislation introduced today to prohibit any race-based or discriminatory profiling by the U.S. Customs Service.

ACLU Urges Minnesota Governor to Order Racial Data Collection for Police Stops (03/15/2000)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- In a letter sent today to Governor Jesse Ventura, the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union called on the governor to order the state patrol to begin tracking the race of the motorists they stop.

New Racial Justice Coalition in CA, Angered by Gov.'s Veto, Seeks Passage of Racial Profiling Bill (03/13/2000)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- The American Civil Liberties Union and other major civil rights, grass roots and community organizations today announced the formation of a Racial Justice Coalition to address racial profiling by police through a series of statewide town hall meetings and a demonstration in Sacramento next month.

ACLU, NAACP Ask Court to Approve "DWB" Class Action Lawsuit Against Maryland State Police (03/08/2000)
BALTIMORE, MD--Led by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Maryland NAACP, a group of 14 minority motorists today asked a federal judge to approve their request to file a class action challenge to racial profiling by the Maryland State Police.