DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) – The director of communications and public policy for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois will be stopping by Danville this weekend for a conversation about race. Specifically, the disparity in getting pulled over.
Edwin Yohnka says police are required to report traffic stop information to the Department of Transportation, who then publishes a yearly study. He says consistently – the data shows more black motorists are stopped per capita than white drivers.
“For the last year for which data is currently available, 2021, that number was significantly higher in Danville. You have a population of the community that’s about 37% black and they make up about 61% of the stops,” Yohnka said.
The ACLU is hoping to create a healthy dialogue between the community and police about the issue. If you’d like to learn more, the event is happening Saturday, March 4 at 3 p.m. in the Danville Area Community College’s Bremer Library. It is free to the public.
Leave A Comment