News & Commentary

It’s called DWB — Driving While Black. And while it is not a crime, too many police officers treat it as if it were. U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, and others say officers stop an unwarranted number of blacks and Hispanics for alleged traffic violations, hoping to find evidence of other criminal activity. The practice is known as racial profiling. "We must stop the invidious practice of racial profiling. All citizens, regardless of their race, should be free to travel America's highways without undue harassment," Conyers said.

Almost every African-American or Latino can tell a story about being pulled over by the police for no apparent reason other than the color of his or her skin, especially if he or she happened to be driving in the "wrong place" at the "wrong time" or even driving the "wrong car." Victims of these racially motivated traffic stops rarely receive a traffic ticket or are found guilty of any violation of the law. It’s a practice called Driving While Black and it is emerging as a seminal civil rights issue. O.J. Simpson prosecutor Christopher Darden has been pulled over many times. Actors Wesley Snipes and Blair Underwood and athletes Joe Morgan and Al Joyner have also been stopped for "DWB."

The ACLU has established a national toll-free hotline to report incidents of racial profiling of motorists. Calling 1-877-6-PROFILE will allow callers to begin a registration process that will help the ACLU compile the statistical data it needs to fight Driving While Black violations. People who have been the victim of DWB violations in Michigan can download a complaint form now and mail it to the ACLU of Michigan. A special ACLU report: "Skin Color as Evidence: The ‘Crime’ of Driving While Black" will be available on line here on May 26. The report is being prepared by Prof. David Harris of the University of Toledo Law School. Prof. Harris is an expert on discriminatory traffic stops and has testified in Congress on behalf of the ACLU.

Marchwinski v. Family Independence Agency Michigan stands alone in requiring its residents to provide a drug-free urine sample in order to continue receiving the state's assistance in achieving "family independence." Because abuse of alcohol and other drugs, often in conjunction with mental health problems, can interfere with employment, most states have created substance abuse treatment and counseling -- and every state except Michigan has determined that these treatment programs will work better without coerced drug testing.

Whether or not you agree with all the American Civil Liberties Union does, surely we agree that public education must be defended. Public education is the cornerstone of American democracy. An educated electorate is vital to sustaining a democracy.

Gov. John Engler is likely to soon renew a push to raise the limit on the number of charter schools that can be authorized by Michigan universities. This is in spite of already having been rebuffed by the Legislature, and in spite of recent studies, both in Michigan and elsewhere in the nation, indicating that charter schools are not the success many had hoped for.