11-R286

2011 -- H 6152

Enacted 05/17/11

 

 

H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N

DESIGNATING THE MONTH OF MAY AS "RACIAL PROFILING AWARENESS MONTH"

     

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Williams, Medina, Hull, Slater, and Ajello

     Date Introduced: May 17, 2011

 

 

     WHEREAS, In 2000, the Rhode Island General Assembly declared that "the use of racial

profiling for stopping or searching motorists on our public highways is against public policy and

violates the civil rights of the motorists"; and

     WHEREAS, Municipal and state law enforcement officers play a vital role in protecting

the public from crime, and the vast majority of police officers discharge their duties

professionally and without bias; and

     WHEREAS, In 2003, an independent analysis by Northeastern University of two years'

worth of traffic stops data collected by police departments across the state found that African-

American and Latino drivers were more likely than white drivers to be stopped, and more than

twice as likely as white drivers to be searched by police; and

     WHEREAS, In 2004, this General Assembly, in finding that some law enforcement

practices may have the unintended effect of promoting racially disparate stops and searches,

further required police departments to collect traffic stop information for an additional year; and

     WHEREAS, In 2006, an independent analysis by Northeastern University of that data

continued to find that African-American and Latino drivers remained more likely than white

drivers to be stopped and searched, even though white drivers were more likely to be found with

contraband when searched; and

     WHEREAS, A more recent independent analysis of traffic stops data from the Rhode

Island State Police found that "there continues to be racial and ethnic disparity in the stops made

by Rhode Island State Police" and that there is "substantial evidence of racial and ethnic disparity

in discretionary searches by the Rhode Island State Police in 2006"; and

     WHEREAS, As this General Assembly has previously found "that racial profiling harms

individuals subjected to it because they experience fear, anxiety, humiliation, anger, resentment

and cynicism when they are unjustifiably treated as criminal suspects"; and

     WHEREAS, Racial profiling damages law enforcement and the criminal justice system

as a whole by undermining public confidence and trust in the police, the courts, and criminal law,

and thereby undermines law enforcement efforts and the ability to solve and reduce crime; and

     WHEREAS, Many people are not aware of the problem of racial profiling in the state or

the availability of remedies for conduct that violates the Racial Profiling Prevention Act of 2004;

and

     WHEREAS, Numerous community organizations are working throughout the month of

May to educate the public and members of their communities about the issues surrounding racial

profiling and their rights to be free from biased-based policing; and

     WHEREAS, Those organizations include such diverse groups as the Urban League of

Rhode Island, Ocean State Action, Progresso Latino, the Rhode Island State Council of Churches,

the International Institute of Rhode Island, Direct Actions for Rights and Equality, and the

Providence Youth Student Movement; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby proclaims May 2011 as "Racial Profiling Awareness Month," and

urges all residents to learn about the issue of bias-based policing and to work with community

groups, police departments and others in addressing this problem; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this Secretary of State be and he is hereby authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Urban League of Rhode Island, Ocean State

Action, Progresso Latino, the Rhode Island State Council of Churches, the International Institute

of Rhode Island, Direct Actions for Rights and Equality, and the Providence Youth Student

Movement.

 

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LC00610

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