More than two dozen Democrats have signed a letter calling for Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to reform what they describe as “racist traffic enforcement” against black people.
A group of 27 Democrats, including “Squad” representatives Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Cori Bush of Missouri, Jamaal Bowman of New York and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, sent the letter to Buttigieg on Thursday, demanding that he stop America’s “damaging” traffic enforcement. condemns. practices and develop reforms that “support the well-being of Black people who travel on our nation’s roads and highways.”
The group wants Buttigieg to direct money from President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill to implement reforms that “bring our nation closer to transit equality.”
“On the roads and highways of our country, black motorists have faced disproportionate surveillance and excessive force under the guise of traffic enforcement,” the letter said. “As Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), we urge you to condemn the status quo of traffic enforcement and implement reforms to reduce racial disparities in traffic enforcement.”
Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, speaks at a news conference near the site of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, USA, on Thursday, February 23, 2023. (Photographer: Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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The Democrats argued in their letter that funds from the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, which passed Congress in 2021 with limited Republican support, should be used for traffic enforcement innovation, such as “removing financial barriers to vehicle registration and upgrading traffic lights”.
“In addition, some states and localities, such as Virginia, Oregon and the city of Philadelphia, have made systemic changes, removing minor traffic violations, such as a missing taillight or an object hanging from a rearview mirror, from enforcement.” by armed police officers,” the letter said. “Road safety should not come at the expense of the dignity and safety of the black community. The status quo of unfair traffic enforcement is the product of racist policies, outdated infrastructure and limited oversight.”
Buttigieg has previously said he wants to tackle racism built into the country’s highways, roads and bridges. He sparked conservative backlash in November 2021 after arguing that the federal government had a “moral” responsibility to address systemic racism in the county’s infrastructure.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (L) participates with his husband Chasten Buttigieg (R) and their children in the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 10, 2023. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, speaks at a news conference near the site of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, USA, on Thursday, February 23, 2023. (Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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“What we’re doing is we’re reconnecting people who may have been disconnected or divided in the past by discriminatory decisions,” the secretary said at the time. “That helps everyone. I don’t see why anyone would be against reconnecting people who have been divided in the past by discriminatory decisions.”
The Department of Transportation did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
