Philadelphia City Council Approves Bill To Ban Police From Making Minor Traffic Stops

Roomies, California Governor Gavin Newsom, isn’t the only one making changes that will affect his state positively for residents. For the past few weeks, he’s been signing bills left and right, and it seems like the politicians in Pennsylvania are catching onto the wave as well. This week was monumental in Philadelphia as a bill has gone into effect to deescalate issues between divers and law enforcement during traffic stops, making Philadelphia the first major city to issue a bill like this of its kind!

According to ABC 6, the Philadelphia City Council passed the Driving Equality Bill on Thursday. The bill will change the way police make traffic stops with one primary goal at hand, closing racial inequities. Reports say that Philly is a city where people of color are 3.4 times more likely to be pulled over than white residents.

The Driving Equality bill will ban officers from pulling over drivers for minor traffic violations, ranging from broken tail lights to expired registration. These offenses are typically used as a pretext for making traffic stops and searching vehicles. The report states that these “pretextual” stops are used disproportionately against Black and Latino drivers, resulting in excessive fees and further distrust with police, according to experts.

Those involved, like Council member Isaiah Thomas, who drafted the bill, hope it will combat the racial profiling due to incidents he’s witnessed and those that have personally affected him in the city of brotherly love. Council member  Thomas stated, “Being pulled over by law enforcement is a rite of passage for Black men. It’s something we all know that we’re gonna have to go through.” He continued saying he’s been pulled over so many times that he has lost count.

With such an amazing bill which the City Council voted 14-2, the only thing left to be done is obtaining  Mayor Kenney’s signature for The Driving Equality bill to go into law. Roomies, we’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.

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