John,

Tyre Nichols would be alive today if he hadn't been pulled over by aggressive police for driving while Black. Tyre Nichols should be alive today.

Officers claimed they pulled him over for an alleged traffic offense, though no evidence of an offense has been found, and the officers didn’t give him a reason for pulling him over before brutally beating him.

Traffic stops for minor offenses are the most common way civilians interact with police, and these stops instill fear in many Black drivers -- who are all too familiar with how such encounters can and have turned deadly.

Police sometimes use “pretextual” traffic stops, where they stop drivers for a minor violation like an expired tag or a blown-out tail light bulb, as a pretext for looking inside cars and investigating more serious potential crimes.

Data shows that Black drivers are significantly less likely than white drivers to be found with anything illegal. In fact, the practice of pretextual traffic stops rarely yields any evidence of criminal activity. However, police disproportionately stop, search, arrest, use force against, and kill Black drivers during pretextual stops.

It’s no wonder that community groups like DeCarcerate Memphis have been advocating to ban pretextual traffic stops. Clearly, many communities would be safer if we lowered the number of unnecessary interactions police have with community members.

Cities like Oakland, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. have moved to limit the types of infractions that police can use to pull people over. For example, such minor traffic violations like missing bumpers, items hanging from rearview mirrors, or drivers not wearing a seatbelt may not be considered sufficient cause for police to stop drivers. Some places have started issuing tickets for minor infractions by mail instead of using traffic stops.

We need national action, as police continue to target and terrorize Black communities.

Please sign now if you agree: It’s time for Congress to ban pretextual traffic stops, limit traffic stops for minor traffic violations, and fund civilian traffic enforcement instead of police enforcement. Black people deserve safety as they move through the world. This is how we can make our communities safer.

Thank you.

In solidarity,

Rashida