On July 13, 2015, Sandra Bland, an African American woman who was traveling through Texas alone, died while in police custody in Waller County. Her death followed on what's called a "pretext stop" or "investigative stop," a form of policing that has been repeatedly shown to be ineffective in reducing crime and that relies on and encourages racial profiling. (Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crowe is a good background book to read about this and other issues of race in the criminal justice system.)
This kind of traffic stop is not unfamiliar to members of minority racial groups in the United States. In September of 2016, the Austin American-Statesman reported that in their analysis of 14 MILLION TRAFFIC STOPS over a five-year period, nearly 35 percent of Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers were TWICE AS LIKELY TO SEARCH AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN OR HISPANIC motorist than white motorist. Yet, CONTRABAND WAS LESS LIKELY to be found during searches of blacks and Hispanics.
Rep. Garnet Coleman yesterday introduced House Bill 2702, the most "comprehensive criminal justice reform bill created in Texas that will address and eliminate the racial disparities experienced by Black and Latino Texans." The Act aims to reduce discriminatory targeting by ending 'pretext' stops, in which someone is pulled over for one often relatively minor reason as a pretext for search. The Act requires DPS employees to be trained in de-escalation techniques as a primary approach during interactions with citizens. The Act also requires that all traffic stop data, including warnings are collected and stored for analysis and review. The Act will also increase pre-booking diversion to identify individuals with mental health issues or individuals that suffer from addiction.
Here is a suggested script for your call:
I am ___, Rep. ___'s constituent in zip code ____. I support H.B. 2702, which protects all Texans, particularly those who suffer from addiction, mental health issues, and those who lack financial resources to pay bail on non-violent offenses. I believe this reform is transformative in providing equal protection of the law for all Texans. I ask that Rep. ___ support this bill.
Contact information for Brooks Landgraf (Odessa):
Capitol Phone: 512-463-0546
Contact information for Tom Craddick (Midland) :
Capitol Phone: 512-463-0500
Contact information for Dustin Burrows (Lubbock):
Capitol Phone: 512-463-0542
Contact information for John Frullo (Lubbock):
Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0676
