Racial Profiling in our Neighborhood -- This has to be our concern!

As the American-Statesman notes: One out of every 8 traffic stops involving a black driver included a police search, compared with 1 out of 28 stops involving white drivers, according to the report. Similarly, Hispanic drivers were searched in 1 out of every 10 traffic stops. About 180,000 people were stopped last year, Frasier said. However, the 93-page report notes "there is virtually no difference in the likelihood of contraband being discovered within the three groups." Police cannot automatically search vehicles pulled over for moving violations without probable cause. APD Chief Art Acevedo’s comments on the new policy do give a bit of pause: Acevedo said he hopes the policy requiring written consent for searches will build stronger criminal cases because it helps eliminate vagueness over whether someone consented. Asked whether he thinks the new policy will affect the rates at which minority residents' vehicles are searched, Acevedo said he is not concerned about numbers. http://www.austinpost.org/austin-news/apd-revises-auto-search-policy-after-racial-profiling-fail       “Celeste” is a sweet 45 year old 5 foot 1 inch light complexed Latina woman who has lived most of her life in Southeast Austin.  She has three grown children and a 11 year old son.  She works at church and has done work with local homeless non-profits to help the city understand homelessness. She also runs a free after school program for our local elementary children through the church.  She has no criminal record.  Like many of us she has had a few speeding tickets but not for years. She drives a fully functioning, fully insured vehicle registered in her name.   Her adult son, Miguel has no criminal record of any kind and no moving violations.  He works the night shift at a local company. On Sunday night she was taking her son to work at about 11:30pm. Her son’s shift starts at midnight.  Her adults nephew decided to accompany them so that she wouldn’t be driving home alone. Celeste was pulled over on her way to drop her son off at work.  During the interaction, the police told her they pulled her over because her tail lights were out. (They were not -- they are fully functioning).  They removed her son, her nephew and eventually her from the car, and handcuffed them and put her in a squad car.  They repeatedly told her they smelled marijuana in the car, she has never had marijuana in the car.  There is a persistent gasoline smell in her car probably because of a mechanical issue that they have been unable to resolve despite repeated visits to the garage.  They did not allow her to call home to let them know she had been detained so they wouldn’t worry.  They did not allow her son to call work -- and he ended up being late for work. The repeatedly badgered them and accused them of “hiding something in the car.”  Without asking for written consent (an APD policy required as of 2012) they searched her vehicle. They found nothing.  Eventually they released all of them without issuing any traffic tickets (including one for “tail light malfunction.”) But only after three different APD officers from two different APD patrol cars had “questioned” them.When they released the family they did not apologize nor did they let the family know how to file a complaint. Most middle class white people cannot believe this kind of story because they don’t want it to be true. They don’t think that someone who is very much like them -- involved in their church, a leader in their community, with a strong family and a deep sense of civic commitment could be pulled over, handcuffed and put in the back of a police car because they are Hispanic.  And so we try to excuse away the stories.  And yet the truth remains that 1 in 28 white drivers are pulled over,  1 in 10 black drivers are pulled over,  1 in 12 Hispanic drivers are pulled over. Even though statistics show that there is no difference between those three racial groups in terms of the rates of something found.  There is a problem. And until faithful white people can hear the problem and walk in solidarity with the community so that this injustice cannot happen there will not be God’s peaceable kingdom breaking to this pattern. If you want to learn more about how our stories shape our lives you can read more  at www.parkerlane.org.  If you’d like to support the work of the church you can donate on line at that same website.