Sponsored by: Berkeley NAACP; UCB Black Student Union; Berkeley Copwatch: ACLU Berkeley/ NorthEastBay Chapter: National Lawyers Guild, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter
Newly released data on police stops confirms local activists’ and communities’ of color charges of racial profiling in Berkeley. Data collected by the Berkeley Police Department reveals a pattern of discriminatory conduct against African American and Latino civilians.
Stops: Though Black people constitute less than 8% of Berkeley’s population, they were 30.5% of those stopped by police; whites, comprising 60% of Berkeley, were 36.7% of those stopped.
Disposition: 38.1% of White people stopped by Berkeley police were eventually released without being either arrested or cited. However, 66.2% of African Americans were released without an arrest or citation, with Hispanics/Latinos close behind at 56.4%.
Searches: African Americans were 31% of civilians stopped, yet they were 57% of searches. Whites, on the other hand, were 37% of stops and only 14% of searches.
Local organizations will discuss the data and its implications in detail at the press conference.