Data Proves LAPD Treats Black and Brown People Worse
According to data reported by The Guardian, drivers in Los Angeles are in for a lot more trouble if they’re of African descent.
“Los Angeles police officers stop and search black and Latino drivers at significantly higher rates than white people, even though white residents are more likely to be carrying drugs and weapons, a new report shows."
How bad is it? Using data gathered over ten months, Black people are four times more likely to be subject to police searches than white people and Latinx people are three times more likely to be searched. That’s where the data takes a turn, however …
“In stops across the city, 24% of black drivers and passengers were searched, compared with 16% of Latinos and 5% of white people. White drivers were found with drugs or other contraband 20% of the time, a higher rate than other groups; the contraband rate was 17% for black people and 16% for Latinos.”
'These stops lead to the death of our people,' said Melina Abdullah, co-founder of Black Lives Matter LA, which is part of the coalition … called Promoting Unity Safety and Health in Los Angeles (Push LA). 'For anybody who lives in communities like mine, the data is not a surprise. It’s a validation of what we already know.’”
"LAPD was forced to release the data under a new California law requiring departments to disclose traffic stop statistics ... The severe racial disparities started with the stops: even though LA’s population is 9% black, roughly 27% of people pulled over were black. White people make up 28% of the city, but roughly 18% of stops. Latinos were 47% of stops, which roughly matches their population size. Asians, who make up 11% of the city, represented 4% of stops.”
WIthout Black Lives Matter’s co-sponsored “Right To Know” law, this data might never have come to light. This empirical proof of discriminatory policing underlines the importance of the work Black Lives Matter does.