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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 8:55 pm
Time: 8:55 pm
Results for racial profiling (louisiana)
1 results foundAuthor: American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana Title: Unequal Under the Law: Racial Profiling in Louisiana Summary: Seven years ago, Louisiana passed the state’s first racial profiling law. It made a statement about racial equality under the law, but was a largely empty gesture in that it did not require law enforcement to document officers’ daily conduct. Almost three years ago, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the world watched as thousands of New Orleans residents — most of them poor and black — were left stranded by the rising floodwaters. Then last year, race inequality in Louisiana was once again thrust into the national spotlight when six African-American students were suspended and arrested under dubious circumstances in Jena. Racial profiling erodes our system of justice. It erodes the public’s faith in the police, and the police’s trust in the community. Assumptions take the place of facts—facts which are needed to fight crime and make our neighborhoods safer. The American Civil Liberties Union is dedicated to the principle that all people should be treated equally under the law. In 2007, we began an investigation to find out whether racial profiling is still occurring in Louisiana, and if so, which areas have the worst problem. We collected arrest and booking data for the first three months of 2007 from three parishes in Louisiana, analyzed the numbers, reviewed law enforcement policies and looked into individual complaints of racial profiling. This is a summary of what we found. Racial profiling remains a problem in Louisiana. In the worst areas, in towns like Bunkie and Mansfield, black people are two to three times as likely to be arrested as white people. There remains a common perception that African-Americans are more likely to be driving a stolen car, carrying drugs, or involved in illegal activity when pulled over than white people, but many studies have shown this perception to be untrue. There is a growing body of evidence—studies by Attorney General Offices, watchdog organizations and the U.S. Department of Justice—showing black drivers violate laws less frequently or at the same rates as white drivers. Our report puts three parishes under the magnifying lens. It is a small window into racial profiling in Louisiana and law enforcement policies which have a disparate effect on people of color. We urge Louisiana legislators to amend the current law and require all law enforcement agencies to collect and report racial data on all traffic stops. This would be a vital step towards stopping racial profiling. Armed with this information, police chiefs will have a better idea of how their officers are behaving and how to strengthen law enforcement overall. Details: New Orleans, LA: American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, 2008. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 30, 2012 at http://www.laaclu.org/PDF_documents/unequal_under_law_web.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://www.laaclu.org/PDF_documents/unequal_under_law_web.pdf Shelf Number: 126521 Keywords: LegislationRacial DiscriminationRacial DisparitiesRacial Profiling (Louisiana) |