All of us at Transportation Alternatives were angered and heartbroken by the police killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis. This state-sanctioned violence began with a traffic stop — showing, once again, how transportation, racism, and policing intersect.
We’ve been reflecting on our responsibility in this work, and the ongoing work to end police violence in our communities.
Black and Latino New Yorkers made up 56% of traffic stops in New York City in the first quarter of 2022, but accounted for 87% of arrests, 93% of uses of force, 89% of vehicles seized, and 82% of vehicles searched, according to NYPD reporting. 99% of the people that NYPD summonsed for jaywalking in the first quarter of 2020 were Black or Latino.
