Important legislation to measure discrimination in traffic stops was vetoed by Governor Wilson. The "California Traffic Stops Statistics Act," also known as the "Driving While Black or Brown" (DWB) bill, would have made it possible to keep tabs on racial bias, by requiring law enforcement to collect and report statistical information for a three-year period on the race of motorists pulled over by police.
The bill was sponsored by Assemblymember Kevin Murray, Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus, and supported by Black and Latino law enforcement organizations. All across the state, African-Americans and Latinos have experienced the humiliation of being inexplicably stopped while driving, detained and searched by police. Governor Wilson's veto shows that he doesn't think this is a problem. Your voice can help convince him that it is.
If this has happened to you -- if you have been stopped for the so-called offense of "Driving While Black or Brown" -- you can help get this bill passed in the next session of the legislature. Call the ACLU toll-free and we will help make your voice heard in the state Capitol. We need your help to get this important legislation enacted next year. Have you been stopped unfairly? Tell your story. You can call the ACLU toll free in California at 1-877-DWB-STOP. It's a FREE CALL. 1-877-DWB-STOP that's 1/877-392-7867.
