The Abolitionist Law Center published a report Tuesday highlighting racial disparities in Pittsburgh policing.
The report shows that in 2019, Black people accounted for 43.6 percent of traffic stops and 71.4 percent of all frisks, though Black people only account for 23.2 percent of the city’s population.
The report also shows that Black people also accounted for 69 percent of people subject to warrantless search and seizures, and 63 percent of all arrests. Black children, age 11-18 accounted for 83 percent of warrantless search and seizures in their age bracket, and 100 percent for children 10 and under.
“Trotting out these tired, ineffective solutions in place of defunding is not a noble step towards change,” Abolitionist Law Center Staff Attorney Dolly Prabhu said. “[It is] a manipulative attempt to feign compliance with activists’ demands while continuing to support police”
The report notes that the police budget has risen from a 0.75 percent increase in 2000-2014—before Mayor Bill Peduto took office—to 8.18 percent from 2015-2020, though crime levels have steadily decreased from the early 1990s. The police budget is set to continue its increase next year.
The report calls for a $40 million cut to the city’s police budget in hopes of returning it to its 2014 budget. The ALC demands the $40 million instead be used for social services aimed at reducing crime, such as education, housing, and healthcare.
This report follows another ALC report released earlier this month highlighting racial disparities in Pittsburgh’s criminal justice system.
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