Mark Rechtin
NEWS I OPINION I GOSSIP I STUFFReference Mark
W
hen MotorTrend first hit newsstands in 1949,
discriminatory Jim Crow laws were common-
place in much of America. Although the 1964
Civil Rights Act outlawed segregation, insti-
tutional racism toward Black drivers persists in
more insidious ways even today. The recent protests
following the killing of George Floyd and others show
that to be the case.
This month, MotorTrend traces the history of Black
motorists battling Jim Crow laws. This legalized prejudice
banned them from driving in certain towns after sunset
and dictated where they could (and couldn’t) lodge, dine,
or pump gas. And, terrifyingly, if they got in an accident,
which hospitals would treat them.
Some of you will read this and say, “Stay out of politics.
Stick to cars.”
Like it or not, the automotive industry is incontrovert-
ibly linked to politics. Laws passed by politicians dictate
what we drive, where we drive, and how fast we drive. But
I’d argue this is above politics. This is a human rights issue.
In publishing these articles, MotorTrend seeks to educate
and raise awareness of a social stain on the American
fabric. We hope to challenge presumptions, prompt deep
conversations, and bring about constructive action.
For whites, a traffic stop is almost always trans-
actional. But the Black experience often carries a
menace of tension, harassment, or violence. It’s
also not just with the police. Black drivers well
know “the look” as they drive through an unfa-
miliar neighborhood. And most Black Americans
clearly recall “the talk” they heard from their
parents the day they got their driver’s license.
Despite efforts by leaders in government and law
enforcement to root out this type of systemic racism,
independent studies repeatedly show racial profiling and
discrimination continues today.
The Stanford Open Policing Project studied more than
200 million traffic stops and found clear indication of
racial bias in who was stopped, why they were stopped, and
what subsequent interactions occurred. A peer-reviewed
study published by Nature Human Behavior of 100 million
traffic stops carried out by 21 state patrol agencies and 35municipal police departments over almost a decade found
similar bias. In addition, reports from Illinois in 2013,
Missouri in 2017, and other states have shown similar local
and regional trends—even when the studies controlled for
areas patrolled and crime statistics by race.
In July 2016, the lone Black Republican U.S. Senator, Tim
Scott of South Carolina, addressed the issue on the floor
of Congress: “In the course of one year (in Washington,
D.C.), I have been stopped seven times by law enforce-
ment officers. The vast majority of the time I was pulled
over for nothing more than driving a new car in the wrong
neighborhood or some other reason just as trivial. Imagine
the frustration, the irritation, the sense of a loss of dignity
that accompanies each of those stops.”
In a 2018 interview with National Geographic, Robert
F. Smith, a private-equity giant with a net worth of $
billion, said he has been pulled over “more times than I
care to remember.”
Gretchen Sorin, esteemed college professor and author
of Driving While Black (which we have excerpted starting
on page 62), has devoted years to researching the history of
Black motoring in America. Her husband, who is white, had
been driving their Lexus with winter tires about a month
after snowmelt in upstate New York. Never drew a second
glance. The first time Gretchen borrowed the
car, police pulled her over because of the tires.
MotorTrend is not anti-law enforce-
ment. It is necessary as part of civil society.
We actively assist the Los Angeles Police
and Sheriff ’s Departments, and the El
Segundo Police Department, in identi-
fying vehicles used in crimes. We also coordinate with
the California Highway Patrol in creating many of
our closed-course tests. More than a few of us at MotorTrend
have relatives and close friends on the job. We understand
the challenges law enforcement faces on a daily basis.
Our mission at MotorTrend is to cover the trends in
cars and car culture. And if any segment of our society
is restricted from enjoying motoring in the same way
others can—whatever the segment may be—then we need
to have a conversation about it, honestly and openly, to
help bring about change. QAN
DR
ESR
MONKEYBUSINESSIMAGES^Equal protection under the law
@markrechtin
12 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020