Home : Racial Justice : Racial Profiling

Sweeping Homeland Security Investigation Of Muslims Was Unconstitutional And Discriminatory, Says ACLU (10/31/2008)
WASHINGTON – A report in today’s New York Times revealed details of a 2004 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) anti-terrorism program that, despite government claims to the contrary, used racial profiling. More than 2,000 Muslim immigrants were investigated in the lead up to the 2004 elections, and many were interrogated right before the November election. Despite the investment of considerable resources, “Operation Front Line” produced minimal results. Most of those investigated were found to have done nothing wrong.

ACLU Condemns New FBI Guidelines (10/03/2008)
Washington, DC – New FBI guidelines governing investigations were released today after being signed by Attorney General Michael Mukasey. The American Civil Liberties Union quickly blasted the Department of Justice and FBI for ignoring calls for more stringent protections of Americans’ rights. The guidelines replace existing bureau guidelines for five types of investigations: general criminal, national security, foreign intelligence, civil disorders and demonstrations. The ACLU has been vocal in its disapproval of the overly broad guidelines, citing both the FBI’s and DOJ’s documented records of internal abuse.

ACLU Challenges State Department's Refusal To Issue Passports To U.S. Citizens (09/09/2008)
McALLEN, TX - Today nine American citizens sued the federal government, challenging the U.S. Department of State's refusal to issue them passports because of their race and ancestry and because their births were attended by midwives. The class action lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Texas, the international law firm Hogan and Hartson LLP and Refugio del Rio Grande, Inc., builds upon a complaint filed earlier this year.

ACLU of North Carolina and Other North Carolina Civil Rights Groups Launch Investigation Into Johnston County Sheriff's Office After Sheriff Makes Racially Inflammatory Comments About Latinos to the Raleigh News & Observer (09/09/2008)
RALEIGH – The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina Legal Foundation (ACLU-NCLF), along with representatives from other North Carolina civil rights organizations, announced that they were deeply alarmed by racially inflammatory comments attributed to Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell in the Raleigh News & Observer on Sunday, September 7, 2008.

ACLU Releases Report On Racial Profiling In Louisiana (08/06/2008)
NEW ORLEANS - Today the ACLU of Louisiana releases its report entitled Unequal Under the Law, the culmination of a year-long study on racial profiling in Louisiana. The ACLU's Racial Justice Fellow Liza Grote spent a year gathering and analyzing data from local law enforcement agencies and speaking with victims of racial profiling across the state. Grote said: "Throughout the last year I heard innumerable stories about people being targeted by law enforcement because of the color of their skin. Our studies show that in many cases these stories are true, and that people of color are not treated equally by law enforcement."

ACLU Calls on Congress to Investigate FBI’s Reported Racial and Ethnic Profiling Plan (07/08/2008)
Washington, DC – In light of tomorrow’s Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on the U.S. Department of Justice, the ACLU urges Congress to investigate the FBI’s reported racial and ethnic profiling plan. Although the guidelines do not require congressional approval, Congress has the authority to stop the Justice Department from finalizing guidelines that will open the door to racial and ethnic profiling of American citizens and legal residents during national security investigations. The Associated Press reported last week that among the factors that could make someone the subject of an investigation are travel to regions of the world known for terrorist activity; access to weapons or military training; and a person’s racial or ethnic background.

Public hearing set for repeal of Minneapolis’s Lurking Ordinance (05/20/2008)
MINNEAPOLIS – A controversial city ordinance may soon be repealed with the help of a number of organizations who claim that the law is used in a manner that is discriminatory towards racial minorities and the homeless.

American Civil Liberties Union Of Minnesota To Collect Racial Profiling Data (04/10/2008)
Saint Paul, Minn - The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota announced today that it is launching a new complaint collection form on their website to collect racial and immigration profiling data.

Racial Profiling Concerns Cause the Minnesota House To Reject Seat Belt Law (04/10/2008)
A House and Senate conference committee brought the 2008 Transportation Policy bill to the House Floor yesterday with a provision that would have allowed police to pull over any car whose occupants were not wearing their seat belts.

Landmark Settlement Reached With Maryland State Police In "Driving While Black" Case (04/02/2008)
BALTIMORE -- After more than a decade of fighting for justice on behalf of individuals who were racially profiled on Interstate 95 in Maryland, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Maryland, and the law firm of Hogan & Hartson, LLP are pleased to announce that a landmark settlement has been reached today with the Maryland State Police (MSP) to end the "Driving While Black" lawsuit. The agreement provides substantial damages to the individual plaintiffs, a requirement that the MSP retain an independent consultant to assess its progress towards eliminating the practice of racial profiling, and a joint statement by all parties involved in the lawsuit condemning racial profiling and highlighting the importance of taking preventative action against this practice in the future.

Charges Dismissed Against Reporter Who Was Victim of NYPD Racial Profiling as Figures Show Hundreds of Thousands of Innocent Black New Yorkers Were Stopped-and-Frisked in 2007 (02/13/2008)
NEW YORK – A Bronx Criminal Court judge has dismissed charges against a black New York Post reporter who was the victim of racial profiling by NYPD officers. The dismissal came on the same day that the NYPD quietly released figures showing that police made nearly half a million stops in 2007, most of which were of black and Latino New Yorkers.

Bar Association, Prestigious Academics & NY Times Join NYCLU Lawsuit Against NYPD (01/10/2008)
The New York Times, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and a group of 21 academics from across the country plan to file briefs in support of the New York Civil Liberties Union’s lawsuit challenging the NYPD’s refusal to disclose an electronic database detailing police stops of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, most of whom were black and Latino.

Jury Finds African American Passenger Was Unlawfully Detained at Logan Airport (12/10/2007)
BOSTON - On Friday, a Suffolk Superior Court jury found state police unlawfully detained American Civil Liberties Union attorney King Downing at Logan Airport in October 2003, and Downing agreed to a settlement of his claims against William Thomspon, the state trooper principally responsible for the unlawful detention.

NYCLU Sues NYPD for Harassing Photographers (12/06/2007)
NEW YORK – The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) today filed a lawsuit against the New York Police Department (NYPD) in federal court on behalf of a Columbia University graduate student of Indian descent who was unlawfully handcuffed and detained in July after a police officer saw him snapping photographs near a subway station in upper Manhattan.

Analysis of New NYPD Stop-and-Frisk Data Reveals Dramatic Impact on Black New Yorkers (11/26/2007)
NEW YORK – A New York Civil Liberties Union analysis of recently released New York Police Department data about police stops and frisks of New Yorkers reveals the black community in New York continues to be the target of improper stops and frisks by police officers.

Flawed Report Glosses Over Racial Disparities in NYPD's Stop-and-Frisk Practices (11/20/2007)
NEW YORK – A study commissioned by the New York Police Department on racial disparities in the department’s stop-and-frisk practices does nothing to ease concerns about possible racial profiling of New Yorkers, and amplifies the need for an independent analysis of the NYPD’s tactics.

NYCLU Sues NYPD to Force Public Release of Stop-and-Frisk Database (11/13/2007)
The New York Civil Liberties Union today filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court challenging the NYPD’s refusal to disclose an electronic database detailing police stops of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, most of whom were black and Latino.

Rhode Island ACLU Report Finds Police Departments in Violation of Racial Profiling Law (10/31/2007)
PROVIDENCE - Almost half of the police departments in Rhode Island that are required to post their police complaint forms and procedures online have failed to do so, according to a report released today by the Rhode Island ACLU. The requirement, contained in the Racial Profiling Prevention Act of 2004, was designed to make it easier for victims of police misconduct to file complaints with departments.

ACLU Sues Maryland State Police for Withholding Public Records and Overcharging for Documents Related to "Driving While Black" Lawsuit (09/26/2007)
TOWSON, MD – Charging that the Maryland State Police (MSP) are flouting the letter and spirit of the Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA), the American Civil Liberties Union teamed with Venable, LLP to file a lawsuit today against the MSP for improperly withholding records and imposing excessive costs for records it is producing. The case was filed in Baltimore County Circuit Court on behalf of the Maryland State Conference of NAACP Branches in order to force MSP to produce information and documents relating to its compliance with a federal court order in the organizations’ "Driving While Black" litigation.

ACLU Sues TSA Official, JetBlue for Discriminating Against Passenger Wearing Arabic T-Shirt (08/09/2007)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union and New York Civil Liberties Union today filed a federal civil rights lawsuit charging that a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) official and JetBlue Airways illegally discriminated against an American resident based solely on the Arabic message on his t-shirt and his ethnicity.