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Phoenix, Arizona. Amid growing concern that people are being targeted by law enforcement even before Arizona's new
racial profiling law takes effect, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona today issued an updated “Know Your Rights”
bust card that spells out the rights and responsibilities of citizens and non-citizens when they are stopped by police.
The bust card is being issued in conjunction with “Travel Alerts” posted today by other ACLU affiliates that warn travelers
their civil rights could be violated while passing through or staying in Arizona. Racial profiling victims are also being urged
to contact the ACLU of Arizona with any complaints they may have.
The unconstitutional law – known as SB 1070 - is not scheduled to go into effect until July 29, but the ACLU of Arizona has
already received complaints from people who believe they were profiled by law enforcement because they look “foreign.”
Since April, the ACLU of Arizona has received a steady increase in reports involving individuals who were asked to confirm
their identity or citizenship status.
SB 1070 requires law enforcement agents to demand "papers" from people they stop who they suspect are "unlawfully
present" in the United States. If individuals are unable to prove to officers that they have permission to be here, they may
be detained indefinitely without probable cause to believe they have committed a crime.
“In Arizona, SB 1070 has caused relations between community members and police to go from bad to worse,” said ACLU
of Arizona Executive Director Alessandra Soler Meetze. “Two of the largest police departments in the state – DPS and the
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office – have had to defend against accusations of racial profiling in Court. On top of that, the
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for suspected civil rights
violations.”
The ACLU and other organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the Arizona immigration law in May, but until the law is struck
down, the ACLU warns that individuals should be aware of their rights if stopped by police, especially while they are
traveling on busy highways during the July 4th weekend.
The case challenging SB 1070 is the third ACLU lawsuit against government officials in Arizona on behalf of a besieged
minority community. In August 2009, the organization filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Latino citizen and lawful resident who
were forcibly transported by MCSO deputies to the site of a worksite raid. In addition, the group’s lawsuit challenging
unlawful stops of Latino drivers and passengers by MCSO is moving forward following the discovery of thousands of
documents MCSO had previously failed to disclose. The parties are scheduled to go back to court July 16.
“Our goal is to protect Arizona residents from misconduct by law enforcement, and to make sure they know their rights
should they be subject to it,” added Meetze. “Unfortunately, we’re already hearing stories about individuals being harassed
by police based on their accent, appearance, or where they come from. It is important for people to understand that they
have the right to politely decline additional questioning, to refuse a consent search, and to ask to speak to an attorney.
These rights are not just reserved to citizens of this country but are available to everyone.”
The downloadable ACLU “bust card” contains information on coping with vehicle stops and questioning by police, U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, and the FBI. In addition, the ACLU has made available a Q&A flier in both
English and Spanish. The organization is urging individuals who have experienced racial profiling by police to complete a
new online complaint form at:
http://www.acluaz.org/intake/html/ or call 602-650-1854.
To view the “bust card” on your mobile device, go to:
English: http://mobile.aclu.org
Spanish: http://mobile.aclu.org/espanol
View and print the bust card in English and Spanish in PDF format.
More information about the Arizona law, including an ACLU video and slide show, can be found at:
www.acluaz.org
To read the ACLU of Arizona’s report documenting the on-going problem of racial profiling by the Arizona Department of
Public Safety, visit: http://www.acluaz.org/DrivingWhileBlackorBrown.pdf
Copyright © 2010 Hispanic Institute of Social Issues
Grassroots Journalism
www.barriozona.com
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Press Release
BARRIOZONA
June 30, 2010
ACLU of Arizona Offers “Bust Card,” Urges Racial Profiling
Victims to Report Abuses
The civil liberties advocacy organization launches campaign in advance of the Fourth of July weekend.