driving while black
Pretext for stops
Driving while black is an ironic phrase modeled on legal charges like "driving while intoxicated," describing the experience of Black motorists being pulled over by police without legitimate cause—stopped merely because of their race.
The term captures a well-documented pattern of racial profiling in traffic enforcement: He'd been pulled over three times that month—driving while black.
Sometimes extended to other activities: flying while black, shopping while black.
- racial profilingLaw enforcement by skin color
- traffic stopPolice halting a motorist
- stopCease all motion
- broken taillightNonfunctional rear vehicle light
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
driving · fear · injustice · bigotry · law enforcement · body cameras · dash cam · civil rights · know your rights · alienation · activism · systemic racism · legal reform · racial disparities · accountability · breath · hands · prejudice
driving while blackprobable cause
Legal threshold for searches
reasonable suspicion · community policing · police accountability
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