CBC lawmakers call on DOT to address racial inequity in traffic enforcement

By Eva McKend, CNN

Over two dozen members of the powerful Congressional Black Caucus are calling on Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to address concerns about the safety of Black motorists.

“On our nation’s roads and highways, Black motorists have experienced disproportionate scrutiny and excessive force under the guise of traffic enforcement,” a letter sent Thursday to Buttigieg reads. The lawmakers who signed onto the letter were led by Democratic Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Hank Johnson of Georgia.

Traffic enforcement is often a state and regional matter, and the lawmakers who sent the letter maintain these problems are not specific to or as a result of the Biden administration, but, in reality, are the result of generations of systemic racism.

The members of Congress who sent the letter are urging Buttigieg to use his high-profile post to condemn discrimination and racial profiling from law enforcement and enact reforms.

“Generations of Black people have been unjustly subjected to biased traffic enforcement and police interaction. While driving laws have been enacted at every level of government to safeguard the public, officers selectively enforce these laws to the detriment of Black drivers,” the letter reads.

“As Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), we urge you to condemn the status quo of traffic enforcement and develop reforms to reduce racial inequities in traffic stops,” the letter states.

The lawmakers are specifically calling for the evaluation of public campaigns and grants designed to promote policing in traffic safety. They argue the federal government has the power to ensure federal funds do not contribute to racist enforcement. The CBC members want to ensure the money from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act supports initiatives like traffic light upgrades that reduce the need for law enforcement responses.

“As our nation’s Secretary of Transportation, you play a pivotal role in issuing guidance, collecting data, promulgating regulations, and funding priorities that move our nation closer to transit equity,” the letter reads.

In response to a request for comment on the letter, a DOT spokesperson said, “The Department takes this issue very seriously. We will continue to work to ensure our traffic safety programs, including grant-making, uphold both safety and equity.”

The lawmakers reference Bureau of Justice Statistics data they maintain illustrate the disparity. More than 20 million people are pulled over for traffic violations every year and Black motorists are overrepresented compared to their White counterparts, the letter notes.

Progressives have long called for reimagining traffic and road safety.

In Vermont, Chittenden County prosecutor Sarah George stopped pursuing charges in cases where evidence was collected during a “non-public safety” traffic stop like failing to signal a lane change or driving too slowly. She issued a public memo to this effect at the end of 2021.

“When the data shows an enormous discrepancy in who is being targeted during traffic stops, that discrepancy means a disproportionate number of Black and Brown folks being criminally charged. In order to eliminate the fatal realities of these traffic stops, the legislature and those who do control police actions and resources must intervene,” said George, who describes the letter sent by lawmakers as important.

Other officials in states and municipalities across the country have taken similar actions in an effort to reduce what can sometimes escalate to deadly interactions with motorists including in Virginia, Oregon and Philadelphia, the letter notes. Of the more than 1,000 people killed by police last year, about 7% involved traffic violation encounters according to Mapping Police Violence, a group that tracks police shootings in the United States.

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