Congresswoman Johnson has been a fervent advocate of efforts to end the unjust activity of racial profiling. She has said that the practice is "perhaps the most overt threat to 'equal justice under law' in America today." The Congresswoman has taken part in numerous activities targeting an end to racial profiling.
Racial Profiling is defined as the practice by which police officers stop motorists of certain racial or ethnic groups because the officers believe that these groups are more likely than others to commit certain types of crimes. According to a December 1999 Gallup Poll:
More than four out of 10 black Americans say they have been the victims of racial profiling, including three-quarters of young black men
The majority of white, as well as black, Americans say that racial profiling is widespread in the United States
Fifty-nine percent of a sample of national adults aged 18 and older say that racial profiling is widespread
Seventy-seven percent of African-Americans say that racial profiling is widespread, compared to 56% of whites
Most blacks and whites say that they have a favorable opinion of police. It is striking, however, that more than half of the young black men included in the sample say that they have an unfavorable opinion of the local police in their area
A study found that 73 percent of the people stopped the police on strip of interstate highway in Maryland were African-Americans even though they made up 14% of those traveling on that road. According to a 1997 study, African-Americans in Philadelphia made up 42% of the population, but almost 80% of traffic stops.
Congresswoman Johnson is a co-sponsor of House Resolution (H.R.) 1443, the Traffic Stops Statistics Study Act of 2000, introduced by John Conyers, which would take steps toward addressing the problem. This bill would require police departments to collect data to determine the extend racial profiling is used as a basis for traffic stops. Congresswoman Johnson has called on all Americans to write or call their Congressional representative to express support for this measure.
