Over two dozen members of the powerful Congressional Black Caucus are calling on Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to address concerns about the safety of Black motorists.
“On our nation’s roads and highways, Black motorists have experienced disproportionate scrutiny and excessive force under the guise of traffic enforcement,” a letter sent Thursday to Buttigieg reads. The lawmakers who signed onto the letter were led by Democratic Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Hank Johnson of Georgia.
Traffic enforcement is often a state and regional matter, and the lawmakers who sent the letter maintain these problems are not specific to or as a result of the Biden administration, but, in reality, are the result of generations of systemic racism.
The members of Congress who sent the letter are urging Buttigieg to use his high-profile post to condemn discrimination and racial profiling from law enforcement and enact reforms.
“Generations of Black people have been unjustly subjected to biased traffic enforcement and police interaction. While driving laws have been enacted at every level of government to safeguard the public, officers selectively enforce these laws to the detriment of Black drivers,” the letter reads.
“As Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), we urge you to condemn the status quo of traffic enforcement and develop reforms to reduce racial inequities in traffic stops,” the letter states.
The lawmakers are specifically calling for the evaluation of public campaigns and grants designed to promote policing in traffic safety. They argue the federal government has the power to ensure federal funds do not contribute to racist enforcement. The CBC members want to ensure the money from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act supports initiatives like traffic light upgrades that reduce the need…
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