Sandbox
From NewlyPossible.org
Background
- Nine Charts About Wealth Inequality in America (2017) [1]
- Traffic Safety Facts: Race and Ethnicity, DOT HS 810 995 (2009) [2]
- Stanford Open Policing Project, Findings [3]
- David A. Harris, The Stories, the Statistics and the Law: Why 'Driving While Black' Matters, 84 Minnesota Law Review 265 (1999) [4]
Presentations
For the first hour of our class, each student will briefly introduce a specific topic related to law enforcement in transportation:
- Select one of the topics below by visiting this link: [5]. Sign up with your first name or initials, and make a note of your selection before submitting the form.
- Prepare a three-minute presentation that (a) explains the topic, (b) identifies potential issues of racial justice, (c) highlights key questions for discussion, reflection, and further inquiry, and (d) cites sources.
- If you will be in class: Give your presentation. You may not exceed three minutes!
- If you will not be in class: Record your presentation and share it with the class no later than Sunday at 9pm.
The topics are:
- "Walking while black"
- Stop-and-frisk
- Traffic fines as a revenue source
- Pretextual vehicle stops
- Equipment, insurance, and license violations
- Disparities in vehicle stops
- Disparities in vehicle searches
- Canine sniffs following stops
- Consent searches following stops
- Civil asset forfeiture following stops
- Use of force in traffic stops
- Checkpoints/roadblocks
- Enforcement activities in commercial bus travel
- Transit policing
- Aviation security screenings
- International border crossings
- "100-mile border zone"
Discussion
For the second half of our class, we will join Professor Seth Stoughton's Criminal Procedure students for a joint freeform discussion of racial discrimination in traffic enforcement. Come prepared to (a) share what you learned, (b) identify issues, problems, and solutions, (c) ask questions, and (d) participate fully in discussions of both your selected topic specifically and enforcement generally.
