In its Amnesty Project organized as part of Family Week last month, Better Family Life took official pardon to a new level. More than 10,000 citizens participated, along with law enforcement agencies in 26 municipalities.
BFL called the event a “regional success” that enabled people with outstanding traffic fines to settle debts (and contribute to municipal coffers) without risking arrest for warrants – but also raised troubling questions about racial profiling in the region.
“I can’t emphasize enough how pleased I am,” said St. Louis Municipal Judge Margaret Walsh, who authorized the project in the city.
“The vast majority of people who showed up had their warrants canceled.”
Walsh said lines were long all day. Participants had to wait several hours to be helped, and some people were asked to return the next day.
Walsh said the amnesty opportunity was a step to get individuals “back on track” and is certain the event will be repeated.
A Better Family Life report about the project showed a somewhat even split between genders – 60 percent of respondents were male, while 40 percent were female – but the racial demographics of people responding with outstanding traffic warrants were very lopsided.
BFL statistics show that 85 percent of the participants were African-American, while only 10 percent were European-American and 5 percent were from other populations.
Walsh said this could be because BFL targeted the African-American community, the group primarily served by the agency, and most of the participants were from St. Louis city, which has a slight majority of black residents.
However, the city/county split of 60 percent (St. Louis) and 40 percent (St. Louis County) was not nearly as unequal as the black/white numbers.
Pine Lawn Police Chief Rickey Collins, who organized the project in several county municipalities, spoke plainly about the issue of race seen in these statistics.
“Statistics show that African Americans are more likely to be stopped and ticketed than any other race,” Collins said.
The State of Missouri compiles comparative statistics annually and releases a report. According to the 2008 Missouri Vehicle Stops report, released by the office of Attorney General Chris Koster, blacks driving in the state are 67 percent more likely than whites to be pulled over.
The report notes that African Americans were stopped at a rate 59 percent higher than expected based on their section of the population aged 16 and older. African Americans represent only 10.8 percent of the population (16 and older) yet account for 17.1 percent of all vehicle stops.
In his analysis of the report, Koster called this trend “disturbing” and emphasized, “Law-abiding drivers have the right to travel throughout Missouri without the fear that they will be stopped based solely on their race or ethnicity.”
Koster added that “law enforcement officers from throughout the state” would agree with him.
Collins said his peers in law enforcement in Missouri clearly still have some work to do in getting past racial profiling.
“I do feel and know that race sensitivity is needed,” Collins said.
Collins said that officers attend mandatory racial profiling classes, but this is not enough. According to Collins, what they need is to experience the unfair treatment African Americans tend to face.
He said, “I would like to see someone transform themselves into African Americans, be stopped by a police officer, and see how African Americans are treated differently.”
Collins advised those who feel their rights have been violated, black or white, to file a complaint and keep a copy for personal records.
“As African Americans, we do not make complaints,” Collins said.
“Racial profiling is a violation of citizens’ rights, and there is no excuse or reason why it should be practiced.”
