The YWCA is asking U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake to join the fight against racial profiling.
At their 98th anniversary breakfast—where the organization raised more than $44,000 ($14,000 more than their original goal)— CEO Kelly Fryer called Flake’s office and left a nice voice mail enticing him to co-sponsor the End Racial Profiling Act. In the past nearly two decades, the bill has been brought up at least 10 times and it’s headed nowhere.
This year’s attempt was introduced in April by Democratic U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland and U.S. Rep. John Conyers, a Democrat from Michigan. The bill would create a federal prohibition on racial profiling, banning targeting a person based on their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
A nice summary by the Human Rights Campaign:
In December 2014, the Department of Justice updated guidance which prohibited federal law enforcement officials from profiling an individual based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, and religion to include gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation. While an important step, the guidance is unable to address issues at the state and local level.
The End Racial Profiling Act of 2015 would prohibit federal, state, and local law enforcement from targeting a person based on actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation without trustworthy information that is relevant to linking a person to a crime. The bill also requires federal law enforcement to maintain adequate policies and procedures designed to eliminate racial profiling (defined broadly), including data collecting and processes for investigating and responding to complaints alleging racial profiling.
Missouri state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, whose district represents Ferguson, was among the speakers at the event this morning. She shared stories on what has been going on in the city and criticized the “heavy-handed police response and general mismanagement of the crisis within the community,” a press release from the YWCA said.
More on that:
Chappelle-Nadal acknowledged that institutional inequality is a major issue underpinning the unrest in Ferguson, contributing to tensions between police and an angered community: “I have to tell you that there has been systematic racism, institutionally in state government for decades, including my own state party,” she said.
The Senator has proposed legislation in 2015 to re-examine policies related to use of deadly force and proper legal procedures following officer-involved deaths, and she has called for the resignation of Governor Jay Nixon (D). She called for Arizonans to take a lead from the YWCA’s efforts here in Tucson to end racial profiling.
Flake has not responded to Fryer’s message, according to the YWCA.
This article appears in May 14-20, 2015.
So Flake is gonna “get on board” with the “handcuff the cops bill”?
Would it still be OK to hunt down a rich white cracker?
I thought so. This is what our taxes go for:
Comedian Dick Gregory was paid between $15,000 and $20,000 plus expenses by the Census Bureau to speak to its workers in February during Black History Month. The figures were released to the New York Post by Celebrity Talent Promotions, which books Gregory.
Apparently Gregory offended someone, because the Census Bureau released a statement to the Post, saying:
We understand [Gregory’s] comments offended some members of the audience. Gregory’s statement and opinions were his own and do not reflect the Census Bureau’s commitment to an inclusive workplace environment free from discrimination and harassment. We make every effort to ensure that our external speakers represent diverse viewpoints while also respecting the audience … We will seek to continue to meet this standard in the future and are thoroughly reviewing our procedures for selecting speakers to ensure their views are appropriate for a federal workplace.
Gregory allegedly referred to Census management as “crackers” for eschewing attending his diatribe.
Laws are not for everybody are they?
David what are you taking about? Do you feel threatened as a rich white cracker? Did this rich white cracker commit a crime? Do you really think rich white guys are being profiled?
@Billy — If you don’t want to call it the “End Racial Profiling Bill,” maybe you could call it the “give cops a clue about what racism is and how to enforce actual laws without incidentally being brutal and hateful.” Many of them do that just great; the rest will probably respond very well to some training.
Jeff Flake is nothing but a sleazy big government lefty posing as a Republican. He is truly the mold of that piece of garbage McCain.
Also, David, your story has nothing to do with the article. You’re trying to find something, somewhere where white people are insulted. How is this story relevant? I’ll agree it’s ridiculous if the Census Bureau spend that kind of money on entertainment. But, you’re relying on something some comedian allegedly said. How does a racial profiling law apply to your scenario?
I’m sorry if I confused you guys. I was trying to make a comparison between what the government says they are trying to accomplish and what we find out that they are actually funding. They couldn’t even denounce his comments, so instead they try to disavow any connection to him.
This will never be a perfect world. Police are profiled by certain groups. How can we stop it?
No profiling, even of criminals as they are perpetrating. But profile only conservatives and the Police.
This is a “divide and conquer” bill pushed by people who want no borders and no accountability in our society. Apparently they do not realize they will divide and conquer this country until no one has any rights and no money.