IN LINCOLN PARK THROUGH JULY 15th.

>>> BLACK AND LATINO DRIVERS ARE BEING DISPROPORTIONATELY TARGETED FOR TRAFFIC STOPS BY THE CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT ACCORDING TO A NEW FEDERAL LAWSUIT FILED BY THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION.

THEY SAY TRAFFIC STOPS SURGED 600% BETWEEN 2015 AND 2022 AND THAT MOST OF THOSE STOPS WERE OF BLACK AND BROWN RESIDENTS.

LATINO DRIVERS TWO TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE STOPPED THAN WHITE DRIVERS AND BLACK FOUR TO SEVEN TIMES MORE LIKELY.

JOINING US ARE A MARINE CORPS VETERAN AND ONE OF THE PLAINTIFFS IN THE CASE ALEXANDER, SR. ATTORNEY OF ACLU OF ILLINOIS WHERE SHE FOCUSES ON THE CRIMINAL SYSTEM IN CHICAGO.

AND ERIC , A RESIDENT AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZER.

HE IS ALSO A PLAINTIFF.

WE REACHED OUT TO THE CITY LAW DEPARTMENT BUT THEY DECLINED TO COMMENT CITING CITY POLICY OF NOT DISCUSSING PENDING LITIGATION.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

TELL US ABOUT THE BACKGROUND OF THIS CASE AND HOW THE ACLU CAME TO BE INVOLVED .

>> THIS CASE RESULTED FROM DECADES OF THE CHICAGO POSTPONEMENT DISPROPORTIONATELY TARGETING BLACK AND LATINO PEOPLE FOR STOPS.

FORCED IT WAS PEDESTRIAN STOPS.

AS YOU MENTIONED, THE REASON THE TRAFFIC STOP LAWSUIT FOCUSES ON 2016 TO THE PRESENT , BECAUSE IN 2015, THE ACLU REACHED A SETTLEMENT WITH THE CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT ELECTED -- HAD A DECLINE IN STOP AND FRISK.

SINCE THEN, 2016 , THEY REPLACED THAT PEDESTRIAN STOP AND FRISK WITH DISCRIMINATORY TRAFFIC STOPS.

IN THE LAST SIX YEARS , THE CHICAGO POLICE FOR HAS DONE 2.6 MILLION TRAFFIC STOPS, OVER 75% ARE OF BLACK AND LATINO DRIVERS.

>> OFTEN NOT LEADING TO A TICKET OR A CITATION.

>> THEY STOP SOMEONE FOR A LOW-LEVEL ALLEGED VIOLATION , EXPIRED REGISTRATION TAG, A CRACKED TAIL LIGHT.

THE POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING.

THEY ARE USING THAT AS AN EXCUSE TO SEARCH CARS AND BLACK AND BROWN DRIVERS.

THEY LOOK FOR GUNS OR DRUGS.

IN 99.5% OF THESE STOPS , THEY DON'T FIND ANYTHING.

IT LEAVES PEOPLE TARGETED AND FEELING DISCRIMINATED.

>> ERIC , YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED BEING STOPPED BY POLICE .

HOW OFTEN DO YOU GET PULLED OVER AND SOME OF THE REASONS OFFICERS GIVE YOU?

>> ON AVERAGE, I GET PULLED OVER THREE TIMES PER YEAR.

THE MOST RECENT WAS JUST LAST SUMMER WHEN THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT READ MY LICENSE PLATE.

IT TURNED INTO , I DID NOT SIGNAL , DID NOT TURN , WHERE IS YOUR PISTOL BECAUSE YOU HAVE A FOREIGN CAR ?

IT IS A LOT OF B.S.

WHEN THEY SEARCH MY VEHICLE.

>> WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE AND WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER POLICE OFFICERS, WHAT IS THEIR BEHAVIOR TOWARDS YOU?

>> I GET PULLED OVER , THEY DON'T GIVE ME A REASON.

THEY NEVER ASKED FOR MY INSURANCE OR REGISTRATION , THEY ONLY WANT TO SEE MY DRIVERS LICENSE.

OFTENTIMES , IT FEELS HOSTILE AND AGGRESSIVE.

THEY WILL APPROACH MY CAR WITH HER HANDS ON THE HOLSTER.

IT IS ESCALATING RIGHT AWAY.

I STARTED GETTING NERVOUS.

WHEN THEY ASKED ME , WHY ARE YOU NERVOUS?

BECAUSE YOUR HEAD IS ON THE GUN.

NOT KNOWING THE REASONS I AM GETTING PULLED OVER.

THEY ARE LOOKING FOR A GUN.

I TELL THEM I DO NOT HAVE IT ON ME.

THEY WANT TO DO A SEARCH AND OFTENTIMES I WANT TO GET THE SITUATION OVER WITH AND I WILL AGREE, SOMETIMES I DON'T.

IT NEVER RESULTS IN A TICKET OR AN ARREST.

THEY NEVER FIND ANY CONTRABAND.

THAT HAPPENS SEVERAL TIMES A YEAR AND HE GETS FRUSTRATING.

WE CANNOT MOVE AROUND THE CITY WITHOUT BEING ARRESTED.

>> HAS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFERED AN EXPLANATION OF WHY THERE IS A DISPARITY IN THE NUMBER OF STOPS FOR BLACK AND LATINO RESIDENTS ?

>> NO.

EVERY YEAR THAT THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PUBLISHES THE PHYSICAL DATA ON THIS RACIAL AND ETHNIC DISPARITY , THE ACLU HAS CALLED ON THE CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT TO TRY TO EXPLAIN AND JUSTIFY, BUT WE HAVE NEVER SEEN A JUSTIFICATION.

WE HEARD PUBLIC STATEMENTS FROM LORI MY FOOT AND SUPERINTENDENT BROWN , CLAIMING THEY ARE DOING THE TRAFFIC STOPS TO COMBAT CRIME.

WHAT WE SHOW IN THIS LAWSUIT IS THAT IT IS NOT EFFECTIVE IN COMBATING CRIME.

ALMOST NONE OF THE TRAFFIC STOPS RESULT IN AN ARREST, THEY DON'T EVEN RESULT IN TRAFFIC TICKETS HALF THE TIME.

THEY ARE FINDING WEAPONS IN .005% OF THE TRAFFIC STOPS THEY ARE DOING.

IT IS NOT MAKING THE CITY SAFER, IT UNDERMINES PUBLIC SAFETY, BECAUSE AS THEY WERE EXPLAINING , IT LEAVES PEOPLE FEELING TARGETED BY THE POLICE AND UNWILLING TO COOPERATE IN THE FUTURE IF THEY NEED POLICE PROTECTION.

>> YOU MENTIONED THE REDUCTION IN INVESTIGATORY STOPS AFTER THEY SAID THEY WOULD STOP STOP AND FRISK , BUT THE DATA SHOWED AFTER THAT THERE WAS A SURGE IN THE NUMBER OF TRAFFIC STOPS.

ERIC , WHAT KIND OF IMPACT DO THESE MASS STOPS HAVE ON THE COMMUNITY AND RELATIONSHIP WITH POLICE?

>> THE BOTTOM LINE, IT IS SIMILAR TO THE DAYS OF OLD WHERE YOU HAD YOUR OWN ON A PLANTATION, THE WORKERS OUT HERE , AND I WAS TAUGHT -- MY DAD WOULD SAY, SAY, YES, SIR, NO, SIR , AND LET THEM DO WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO.

THAT MAKES THE COMMUNITY MAD.

I AM A GROWN MAN WITH KIDS , TWO BLACK YOUNG MALES.

I DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM GOING TO THE SAME THING, WHEN I WAS IN -- A PARAPLEGIC WHEN I GOT INJURED, I HAD TO FUMBLE FOR WHEELCHAIR.

IT IS DEGRADING.

IT IS SENSELESS AND NOT FAIR.

THEY DON'T DO IT TO WHITE PEOPLE.

IT IS A PATTERN THAT CONTINUES TO GO ON AND ON AND ON.

WE DON'T HAVE TO.

I THINK THE ACLU FOR TAKING A STAND TO HELP US BECAUSE IT IS NOT FAIR.

>> SOMETHING YOU DO NOT FEEL YOU HAVE TO TOLERATE.

JOSE MANUEL, WHAT DO YOU HOPE HAPPENS ?

>> I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THE EFFECT THAT HAPPENS WITH TRAFFIC STOPS WE WENT FROM 85,000 PER YEAR TO 600,000 PER YEAR , WE SEE THE RESULTS , THEY ARE NOT ARRESTING US OR FINDING ANYTHING ILLEGAL, THEY ARE JUST HARASSING US OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

>> YOU ARE NOT ASKING FOR FINANCIAL COMPENSATION.

YOU WANT TO RAISE AWARENESS AND