V
ACLU: Data shows checkpoints mostly target minorities
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
The American Civil
Liberties Union of North
Carolina (ACLU-NC) is
nrnKinn ti r U
plUUlll^ WlltlUCI
or not driver's
license check
points set up by
the Winston
Salem Police
Department are
unfairly targeting
minority commu
nities.
ACLU-NC
Racial Justice
Fellow Raul
Pinto spoke about
the organization's
ongoing investi
gation last
Thursday at a
meeting of the
newly-formed
Forsyth County
Hispanic
American
Democrats at the
local Democratic
r* i 1_ -
rany neauquaners. rinto is
looking into the use of
checkpoints, or the system
atic stopping of drivers by
police to check their licens
es, in cities across North
Carolina to see if they are
being concentrated in minor
Taylor
Cunningham
ity areas, including areas
with large Hispanic popula
tions.
Many of the local black
and Hispanic residents who
attended the meeting reported
seeing many cnecK
points in their com
munities.
"Checkpoi nt s
were occurring mul
tiple times a week,
right in the same
location and actually
getting people com
ing and going from
their homes," said
Pinto, referring to
local complaints.
A 2006 law
eliminated the abili
ty of undocumented
immigrants to get a
N.C. driver's
license. A year later,
ACLU-NC said it
started getting com
plaints from
Hispanics across the
state that the driver's
license checkpoints
were being held in front of
their homes and businesses.
Some Hispanic drivers also
complained that at check
points, Caucasian drivers
were being waved through
while minority drivers were
asked to produce their licens
Forsyth County Hispanic Democrats listen to a
presentation from the ACLu.
es.
Such complaints sounded
familiar to those on hand for
the meeting.
"I work at Winston
Salem State University, and
we have lots of students who
live close to Martin Luther
King and also Reynolds Park
Road and also Waughtown
and we have daily check
points, checkpoints, check
points," said one attendee.
Pinto said, according to
state law, the checkpoint
locations are supposed to be
"random or statically indicat
ed" and not put in the same
place repeatedly. He also said
that the method used to
check cars must be systemat
ic, like checking every car or
every third car. Neither the
location of the checkpoint or
the divers checked can be
determined based on race or
ethnicity.
"We want to work with
the Winston-SaJem Police
Department and try to change
the policy that's currently in
place and try to see if the
check points can be placed
around the city evenly," said
Pinto, who would also like
police officers to fill out a
more thorough checkpoint
form, similar to what high
way patrol officers use when
conducting a checkpoint.
Pinto said the WSPD has
been forthcoming with the
information they have, sup
pling the records of 330
Photos by Todd Luck
Raul Pinto
checkpoints conducted
between June 23, 2010 and
May 31, 2011 and perform
ing its own review of the
checkpoint concerns. Pinto
said he's still confirming the
information he was given,
but has found "most of the
locations have been in
minority neighborhoods."
Pinto said checkpoints in
North Carolina are probably
not related to federal pro
grams that enforce immigra
tion laws, since many of the
checkpoint complaints the
agency has received predate
such laws.
In an email to The
Chronicle, WSPD Chief
Scott Cunningham declined
to comment until the WSPD
finished its own review.
"We are not interviewing
about the topic at this time,"
said Cunningham in an
email request for answers to
the ACLU's concerns. "We
are still reviewing the infor
mation and researching the
ACLU's concerns. Once we
have completed our review,
we will be more than glad to
talk about the facts."
City Council Member
James Taylor stopped by the
meeting after Pinto spoke, to
hear concerns from residents.
The Waughtown Street area,
which has a large population
of Hispanics, is in Taylor's
Southeast Ward. Waughtown
also was the local neighbor
hood with the most com
plaints about checkpoints,
Pinto said.
Taylor, who is vice-chair
of the City Council Public
Safety Committee, plans to
bring the issue up in his
next meeting with
Cunningham. He said
though he feels safer person
ally when he sees police
checkpoints, he hopes they
are being implemented even
ly throughout the city.
"If it's an issue, I'll help
to address that issue with the
chief," said Taylor.
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