The “Jaywalker” Brutalized By Sacramento Police Was Stopped for No Reason at All
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When the line between a legally justifiable stop and outright harassment is so thin, it can easily become a pretext for racial profiling.
Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Civil Rights
U.S. DOT Launches Civil Rights Probe of Maryland Transport Policy
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On the last day of the Obama presidency, U.S. DOT announced it will investigate whether Maryland Governor Larry Hogan's unilateral decision to cancel the Baltimore Red Line light rail project violates federal civil rights law. U.S. DOT will also look into whether the state's overall transportation spending discriminates against people of color.
Civil Rights Advocates Challenge Missouri DOT’s Discriminatory Spending
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Missouri, like many other states, shifts transportation funds from cities to rural areas — it collects most gas tax revenue from urban areas and spends it on roads in the hinterlands. And as in many other states, this amounts to a massive transfer of resources from the places where most people of color live. But […]
The Right to Peaceful Assembly vs. the “Right” to Convenient Motoring
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Demonstrations against police brutality spilled onto streets and highways in American cities this weekend, with protesters stopping traffic in Baton Rouge, Memphis, St. Paul, Los Angeles, and Oakland. NPR reports 102 people were arrested in St. Paul and another 120 in Baton Rouge, including prominent Black Lives Matter organizer DeRay Mckesson, who was arrested while walking along […]
Anthony Foxx to Local Officials: Transport Policy Should Tackle Segregation
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Local transportation officials should actively work to reduce segregation and promote equal access to quality schools, three Cabinet members say in a “dear colleague” letter released last week [PDF]. The message from Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, HUD Secretary Julián Castro, and Education Secretary John King urges transportation, housing, and education officials at all levels of government to work together to ensure that people aren’t excluded from […]
House Panel Calls on U.S. DOT to Measure Access to Economic Opportunity
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A bill working its way through Congress may prompt federal officials to get a better handle on how transportation projects help or hinder access to jobs, education, and health care. The legislation, which passed out of a House Committee this week, calls for U.S. DOT to measure “the degree to which the transportation system, including public transportation, provides multimodal […]