I think the statistic about an inordinately large percentage of black drivers being stopped is misleading. The percentage figure is based only upon the population of Oak Park. However, we border on the predominantly Black neighborhood of Austin, and parts of the bordering area of Chicago also have a larger percentage of Black population. Many of these people work, shop, or simply drive through Oak Park on a regular basis. So the percentage of any group of people driving in Oak Park on any given day is different than the residential population. When you think of it that way, the statistics are less out of line. There are also cases where cars are involved in spill-over crime.
The question is not so much how many cars are stopped, but why they are stopped. Are there complaints of racial discrimination? If so, they need to be investigated. I’m not saying that the statistics shouldn’t be looked at, but just the numbers do not necessarily indicate that the Oak Park police are acting unfairly.
Joyce Porter
Oak Park