Eleanor Holmes Norton: “In July, we will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. My amendment enforces section 2000(d) of…”

“In July, we will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. My amendment enforces section 2000(d) of the act. It would require that no funds would be available or used to stop, investigate, detain, or arrest people on highways based on their physical appearance in violation of the Fifth and 14th Amendments and title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Supreme Court, in Whren v. U.S., has found that profiling based on physical appearance on highways violates equal protection of the laws. Title VI of the 1964 act enforces the 14th Amendment and applies to funding for all Federal agencies and departments. My amendment carries out this mandate in transportation funding as well. Federal guidance regarding the use of race by Federal law enforcement agencies finds that racial profiling is not merely wrong, but is also ineffective. Not only Blacks and Hispanics are affected, but many others in our country as well, given the increasing diversity of American society. The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that Whites are stopped at a rate of 3.6 percent, but Blacks at 9.5 percent and Hispanics at 8.8 percent, more than twice the rate of Whites. The figures are roughly the same, regardless of region or State.…”