Letters to the Editor

Support pending bills documenting ‘driving while black’

We agree that racial profiling and discrimination continue to be issues in our communities and thank The Banner for pushing for continued public attention and meaningful solutions to the problem (July 1 editorial, “A Case of False Arrest”).  We are working to do the same at the Statehouse.

In 2000, the Legislature passed a law that had important provisions to diagnose and curb racial profiling, or “bias-based policing,” on Massachusetts roads.  But more steps are needed to address the reality and the impacts of “driving while black.”

While some police departments across the state are collecting the data required under the 2000 bill, others are not; and no requirement exists to review data that is collected or to act upon the findings.

Today, the Legislature has an opportunity to fix these gaps.  Our bill (S.2309/H.3842) requires officers to collect data at all traffic stops on an ongoing basis. It also requires an annual analysis of the data and establishes an advisory committee of a broad group of stakeholders to guide our state’s ongoing efforts.

No driver of color in Massachusetts should have to experience the impact of bias-based policing, whether it’s in the form of an unfair stop, heightened fear and attention to where he or she can drive without being the object of suspicion, or a degraded trust relationship between the community and the police. One concrete step we can take to address these very real problems is to pass S.2309/H.3842.

We will continue to fight until that happens.

State Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz and state Rep. Byron Rushing

Like watching the paint dry

Enough, already! What is going on? Where is the outrage? A number of friendly foreign governments have offered to send “skimmer” ships to help out with the oil spill. Why hasn’t the help been accepted?

Many of the clean-up workers have complained about serious headaches and other ailments from inhaling the oil fumes. Where are the respirators? Is it true that threats of dismissal have been made by BP for anyone using a respirator?

News personnel have complained about their access to bird cleaning sites and the use of private security guards to restrict their movement on public beaches. Has someone established a dictatorship on the Gulf Coast under our noses?

There should be a line of sewerage vacuum trucks on the beaches in the threatened areas. They can suck the oil clumps from the water. So, who is really in charge?

Perhaps new leadership is needed. Where is Lt. Gen. Honore? This is a national emergency. When a former senator acting as an apologist for the oil companies can suggest that drilling safety wells would be too expensive, it’s time to shut things down.  

So far, it’s been like watching an unwinding catastrophe in slow motion. Nothing is worth gambling with our oceans.

Marvin Clark
Via e-mail