Norton Introduces Racial Profiling Bill, Marking First Anniversary of Death of Trayvon Martin

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, a year after the death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old African-American boy who was killed by a neighborhood watch member, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) re-introduced her bill to reestablish a popular federal grant program aimed at reducing racial profiling. Norton's bill permits states to apply for grants to develop racial profiling laws, to collect and maintain data on traffic stops, to fashion programs to reduce racial profiling, and to train law enforcement officers. Nearly half of the states participated in the program when it was in existence, which, Norton said, shows both the need and interest in tackling this civil rights issue. Norton got the program included in the surface transportation law in 2005, but the program expired in 2009. Norton, a former chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, will try to get her bill included in the surface transportation bill Congress will be writing during this congress.

Norton, a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said, "The Trayvon Martin tragedy did not involve a law enforcement officer, but his death reminded the country that racial profiling discrimination remains largely unaddressed. The responsibility for eliminating racial profiling should begin with the federal government, especially when racial profiling happens on federally funded roads." Norton said her bill does not require states to participate and does not penalize them for failing to do so, but it would help states to develop the necessary tools to reduce racial profiling.

Published: February 26, 2013