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A new study confirms what Black people already know about traffic stops [1]
['Jason Weisberger']
Date: 2023-05-30
The first few words a police officer says to a Black driver indicate how the rest of the stop will go. Suppose the cop is barking commands and demanding someone be obedient before informing the waylaid motorist politely of the reason for being detained. In that case, things are probably not going to go very well.
Police should stop making traffic stops, and traffic enforcement groups should manage traffic. A broken tail light, an expired registration tag, or failure to signal correctly should not be an opportunity to escalate. Unless there is a standing warrant for the person pulled over or a hostage tied up in the backseat — a failed light should not turn into jail. Traffic enforcement folks could carry bulbs and sell them to those needing one. Highways would be far friendlier if we had a version of Mexico's Green Angels.
It would also be fantastic if the US were to drop the Eric Cartman model of "Respect my Authoritay" policing.
NPR:
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