In a lawsuit, it is alleged that Beverly Hills police stopped roughly 1,100 Black persons based on their race.
The majority of Black drivers who were stopped in the affluent city between August 2019 and August 2021 were represented in the lawsuit, which was disclosed on Monday.
Only two of the 1,088 Black drivers who were pulled over and arrested for crimes, according to attorney Benjamin Crump, were found guilty.
Black people, who make up just 1.5% of the city’s population, were engaged in about a third of all arrests conducted during that time, according to Crump.
It was not done to stop crime. The purpose, according to Crump, was to convey to Black people that they were not welcome in this community. That is basic racial profiling.
The city refuted the accusations, claiming in a statement that “The data supplied addressing the number of convictions is an incorrect identification of the evidence in this case. Additionally, the 1,088 arrests mentioned include those who were cited and released in addition to custodial arrests.
The City of Beverly Hills is a popular tourist destination for people from all over the world, according to the statement. The Beverly Hills Police Department’s mission is to uphold the law, regardless of ethnicity.
Damages in the lawsuit total $500 million.
Shepherd York, a law clerk, was among those stopped for having expired license plates while he was driving to work, according to attorneys.
At the press conference, York stated, “I was imprisoned for three days.” “Humiliated, scared, and sad.”
Although his car was searched and seized, he was never found guilty of a crime, according to his lawyers.