A lawsuit has been filed in Beverly Hills accusing police officers of profiling nearly 11,000 Black people during traffic stops in a two-year period, according to the Associated Press.
Attorney Benjamin Crump said at a press conference earlier this week that out of 1,088 Black people pulled over by police, only two were convicted of crimes. The suit was filed representing most of the Black drivers who were pulled over while driving in the wealthy city between August 2019 and August 2021.
The number of Black people who make up the population of Beverly Hills
is 1.5% yet about a third of all of the arrests made during that time period included Black drivers. “It wasn’t to deter crime. It was to send a message to Black people that we don’t want your kind around here,” Crump said. “That is racial profiling 101!”Added attorney Bradley Gage, “In two years, 1,088 Black people arrested, only two convictions,” Gage told reporters. “There’s only one explanation for that. They want to drive Black people out of the city.”
The lawsuit is seeking $500 million in damages for the motorists.
City of Beverly Hills denies all claims
“The statistics presented referencing the number of convictions is a mischaracterization of the evidence in this case,” it said in a statement. “In addition, the 1,088 arrests referenced include people cited and released, not just custodial arrests.”
“The City of Beverly Hills is an international destination that always welcomes visitors from across the country and around the world,” the city added. “The role of the Beverly Hills Police Department is to enforce the law, regardless of race.”
Complainant Shepherd York, a law clerk and one of
the motorists pulled over in the city, was stopped for having expired license plates while he was driving to work. “I spent three days in jail,” York said at the news conference. “Humiliated, scared, sad.”