Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Civil Rights

Car Dependence Is a Poverty Trap That States Exploit to Raise Money

By Angie Schmitt | Sep 29, 2017 | 28 Comments

State and local governments in much of the country use the threat of drivers license suspension to impose fines and sanctions that can entrap people in a vicious cycle of indebtedness.

New Oregon Law Aims to Shed Light on Police Bias in Traffic Stops

By Angie Schmitt | Aug 21, 2017 | 43 Comments

You can't end discrimination in traffic stops if you don't know how bad the problem is, but only a handful of states collect comprehensive racial data on traffic enforcement. Now you can add one more to the list.

A Sacramento police officer used the city's jaywalking statute as a pretext to initiate this violent confrontation with Nandi Cain, Jr. in April.

Seattle Council Member Asks Whether “Jaywalking” Laws Do More Harm Than Good

By Angie Schmitt | Jul 28, 2017 | 26 Comments

The concept of "jaywalking" has become deeply embedded in American culture, but if you go back just a few generations, the idea that your mere presence in the street could be illegal was a novel idea. Now one elected official in Seattle is suggesting that laws penalizing people outside of cars have gone too far.

The Red Line light rail project promised to better connect low-income black neighborhoods in Baltimore to economic opportunities, but Larry Hogan killed the project in 2015. Photo: MD GovPics/Flickr

Trump DOT Shuts Down Civil Rights Probe of Larry Hogan’s Decision to Kill the Red Line

By Angie Schmitt | Jul 17, 2017 | 3 Comments

The issue may be settled at U.S. DOT, but it's not going away. All five Democratic challengers to Larry Hogan's 2018 gubernatorial run have said they'll revive the Red Line.

The Red Line was worth building because it mainly served central urban neighborhoods. Hogan's decision to kill it clearly discriminated against the predominantly black residents it would have served. Image: GGW

How You Can Tell Larry Hogan’s Decision to Kill the Red Line Was Racially Discriminatory

By Alon Levy | Apr 21, 2017 | 14 Comments

He canceled the Red Line, which would serve predominantly black Baltimore neighborhoods, but not the Purple Line, which will serve a whiter, more affluent population but is not demonstrably more cost-effective.

A survey of Black and Latino residents in New Jersey reveals barriers to biking that are not discussed very often by bike-promotion pros. Photo: New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource Center.

For People of Color, Barriers to Biking Go Far Beyond Infrastructure, Study Shows

By Michael Andersen | Apr 18, 2017 | 43 Comments

New research from New Jersey shows huge gaps in conventional wisdom.

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