NAACP Hopes To Create Dialogue To Avoid Tragedies Such As The Deadly Shooting In Ferguson
By Cherri Gregg
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The NAACP issued a new report this week on racial profiling and the controversial use of stop and frisk policies across the country. The group is hoping to create more dialogue so that tragedies like what happened in Ferguson never happen again.
Titled, "Born Suspect: Stop and Frisk Abuses and the Continued Fight to End Racial Profiling in America," the 60-page report looks at racial profiling laws in all 50 states as well as data and policies surrounding stop and frisk.
"There's only 30 states that have some form of racial profiling law on the books," says Dr. Niaz Kasravi, criminal justice director for the NAACP's national office. She says none of the racial profiling laws are adequate to end abusive stop and frisk tactics because there were missing elements in laws.
"Recommendations including the definition of data profiling, a ban on racial profiling, data collection, training, and so forth."
New Jersey is on the list of states with a racial profiling the NAACP says needs work.
Pennsylvania doesn't have one at all. Philadelphia civil rights lawyer David Rudovsky says the city of Philadelphia keeps stop and frisk data and it shows there are disparities.
"Many more minorities are stopped and frisked than are representative in the population," he says, "but more analysis and study needs to be done to determine whether police behavior includes elements that lead to racial profiling.
Rudovsky says statewide legislation in Pennsylvania could help.
"But it's not the cure all," he says, "you'd have to follow up and make sure there's accountability."
The NAACP says they hope unrest in Ferguson following the death of Mike Brown, as well as protests in New York following the death of Eric Garner, turn attention back to racial profiling.
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