Thomas, who has been pulled over many times in Philly, told NPR that he hopes the law will help restore trust between police and communities of color. Relations between communities of color and police are tense due to the history and persistence of many forms of discrimination and brutality, and the objective of the law is to decrease these encounters.
#Philadelphia traffic drivers#
The primary catalyst behind the Driving Equality law is the experience that many Black and Brown drivers in Philadelphia have grown very familiar with: being pulled over for harmless violations that lead to prolonged stops and searches. Weissman said that members of the group should be announced by the end of March. “This group is a combination of academics and experts, but also concerned citizens,” said Max Weisman, director of communications for Thomas’ office. Thomas’s office is also establishing a working group to track the policy’s implementation and the new data Driving Equality will produce. If a driver violates any other aspects of the code like running red lights or speeding, they can be stopped, and police can cite them for multiple infractions. If one of these codes is the only wrongdoing a driver is committing on the road, police are no longer allowed to pull them over. By removing the stops that promote discrimination rather than public safety, we can rebuild police-community trust,” Thomas said. “Many traffic stops are traumatic and, since they are oftentimes a person of color’s first interaction with law enforcement, start off a tense relationship. Councilmember Isaiah Thomas March 3, 2022
Today, we take a giant step to bridge the divide. Philly can often be a tale of two cities for Black and Brown folks. We've worked to reclassify the traffic stops that promote discrimination and keep the ones that keep us safe.
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