General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: the astonishing scale of traffic stops which Castile had been subject to, 31 stops [View all]IL Lib
(190 posts)I was also stopped for having 3 friends in the car. I told them I wouldn't allow them to search my car. The officer asked why if I didn't have anything to hide? He was black, also, but was teamed with white officers. The question was stupid. Why should I be inconvenienced because I was in a new car that apparently they thought I shouldn't have been driving?
I was a passenger during another stop where a cousin was stopped for an fraternity plate on the front of his car. Again, technically you have to have both plates in Illinois, but the point is that POC get stopped for these minor infractions more than Caucasians. The LEO was Hispanic. Probably in his thirties at the time. We ended up having a conversation with him, and I told him that he wouldn't have stopped any white people for that same infraction. He was honest and actually agreed. In fact, there were many white people driving by with no plate at all on the front of their cars during our stop.
POC are profiled by LEO of ALL races. It's something I'm aware of on a daily basis. It's truly a problem, and we have seen the effect unnecessary contact with POC and LEO can lead to.