Federal Judge says "Black drivers have a problem in Richmond"
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Richmond police stop Black drivers at a significantly higher rate than white drivers.
- That's according to a federal judge who found in Richmond a "disgraceful disparity in enforcement of traffic laws, with Black drivers getting the short end of the stick," the Times-Dispatch's Luca Powell reports.
Why it matters: Virginia passed legislation in 2020 aimed at reducing instances of racial profiling and disparities in traffic stops, yet they seem to persist throughout the state and in Richmond.
What's happening: U.S. District Court Judge John A. Gibney Jr. made the ruling earlier this week in a motion to dismiss the case against Keith Rodney Moore, a Black man who was pulled over in Highland Park in December 2020.
- Moore had a prior felony conviction, fled the scene, was caught and found to illegally have a gun in his car, for which he was arrested.
Yes, but: Moore's lawyer argued he shouldn't have been pulled over to begin with and was only stopped because he is Black.
- His defense included six months of RPD traffic stop data, which Virginia police departments have been required to submit since 2020 as part of the Community Policing Act
- The data for the last six months of 2020 showed Richmond police stopped Black drivers at more than five times the rate it stopped white drivers.
By the numbers: Between July 2020 and Dec. 5, 2020, when Moore was arrested, 77% of drivers stopped by Richmond police were Black and 15% were white.
- Richmond's demographics in 2020 were 46% white and 45% Black.
- Additionally, Richmond officers were "far more likely" to search Black drivers and their cars than white drivers. Black drivers were 12.67 times more likely to be arrested as a result of the stop, according to evidence in the case, per the ruling.
What they're saying: "Black drivers have a problem in Richmond, Virginia," Gibney wrote. He added in his ruling that data indicates the issue is statewide and shows a "remarkable record of picking on Black drivers."
- "One would think that Virginia's citizens would cry out in protest over this situation, but they don't."
The other side: Richmond police Chief Rick Edwards, who started in his post in October 2022, strenuously pushed back on the opinion, per the RTD.
- "The Richmond Police Department does not stop motorists based on race," Edwards wrote in a statement to the paper.
- And data pulled by the paper to show a broader traffic stop period (July 1, 2020-September 30, 2023) found smaller racial disparities in stops: 61% of drivers stopped by RPD were Black and 31% white.
- Edwards added that he has a "deep and long-lasting commitment to protecting the citizens of Richmond and doing so in a manner that is professional, fair and impartial."