The ACLU has established a national toll-free hotline to report incidents of racial profiling of motorists. Calling 1-877-6-PROFILE will allow callers to begin a registration process that will help the ACLU compile the statistical data it needs to fight Driving While Black violations. People who have been the victim of DWB violations in Michigan can download a complaint form now and mail it to the ACLU of Michigan.
A special ACLU report: "Skin Color as Evidence: The ‘Crime’ of Driving While Black" will be available on line here on May 26. The report is being prepared by Prof. David Harris of the University of Toledo Law School. Prof. Harris is an expert on discriminatory traffic stops and has testified in Congress on behalf of the ACLU.
An article in the June issue of Emerge magazine highlights the growing problem of Driving While Black and credits the ACLU with being "one of the most tenacious and aggressive opponents of racial profiling."
Radio ads which illustrate the DWB phenomenon have begun airing in major markets around country. They will debut soon in Detroit. In the English-language version, two men are driving in a car and the police are following them.
First man: Aw, man!
Second man: What?
First man: The police are followin’ us.
Second man: You sure?
First man: Everywhere I go, they're there. I'm tellin' you.
Second man: All right be cool. Hold on. . . . Why are we scared? We didn't do anything wrong.
First man: Yeah. (pause) So why are they pulling us over?
Announcer: The sight of a police car shouldn't scare you. Driving while black or brown isn't against the law. But police officers stopping drivers because of the color of their skin is.
In one case, it was found that minorities made up 16% of drivers, but were 74% of those stopped and searched. Enough. Call the ACLU hotline and tell us your story at 1-877-6-PROFILE. Together we have the power to end discrimination by the police. Call 1-877-6-PROFILE and let's arrest the racism.
Click Here for the National ACLU's report "Driving While Black: Racial Profiling on Our Nation's Highways"
Click Here for the ACLU's guide on what to do if you are stopped by Police, Immigration Authorities or the FBI.