"Once again, the US government failed to level with the international community about its human rights record when it comes to racial injustice in America's own backyard. From police brutality and racial profiling, to voter disfranchisement and skyrocketing rates of incarceration, the effects of racial discrimination are corrosive," said Jamil Dakwar, Advocacy Director of the ACLU Human Rights Program.

The US government submitted its report in April to the CERD committee, an independent group of internationally recognized human rights experts that oversees compliance with the treaty, which the US ratified in 1994.  In its "shadow report," the ACLU documents the US government's failure to fully comply with CERD, reporting the setbacks in the promotion of racial and ethnic equality, including the government's attack on affirmative action and the courts' curtailment of civil rights and remedies for discrimination.  

The ACLU's report specifically highlights examples of race discrimination in Texas:

• Racial profiling -- Local law enforcement officers in several Texas cities are reportedly pulling over Latinos and demanding proof of citizenship from US citizens;
• School Discipline -- African American and Latino children are referred for discipline at a much higher rate than their white counterparts across the state;
• Police Tactics ? Three out of four (72%) of Texas police agencies report consent searching African Americans more frequently than whites, and three out of five (56%) report consent searching Latinos more frequently than whites; 
• Incarceration -- African Americans comprise just 11% of Texas' population, but 40% of those incarcerated in Texas prisons and jails, and nearly 50% of those incarcerated for drug possession -- even though studies shows African Americans and whites are equally likely to use drugs.

"Sadly, Texas is infamous for the racially discriminatory misconduct perpetrated by its law enforcement agencies," said Richard Alvarado, Interim Executive Director for the ACLU of Texas. In the last ten years, Texas police have used confidential informants to falsely charge African Americans with drug crimes in Tulia, Hearne and Madisonville; have planted sheetrock on innocent individuals and then arrested them for possession of cocaine in Dallas; have mishandled DNA evidence at the crime lab in Houston; and have shot several unarmed African Americans in Austin, prompting an investigation by the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.  "And those are just the stories we know about," noted Alvarado.  "The true extent of racial discrimination by Texas law enforcement agencies may be much more severe."

The event in San Antonio is being held in cooperation with the San Antonio Human and Civil Rights Coalition to highlight the importance of international human rights, in light of the recent allegations against several San Antonio police officers for cavity searching, fondling, and humiliating four African American men during the course of a traffic stop.

"We call on the City of San Antonio to adopt a resolution committing to bring the City into better compliance with international human rights standards of equality and end discriminatory police practices in this City," said Tracey Hayes, Interim Field Director for the ACLU of Texas.  "We are delighted to cosponsor this event with the San Antonio Human and Civil Rights Coalition.  Racist and abusive law enforcement tactics violate both US constitutional law and international law."

December 10th is celebrated worldwide as International Human Rights Day. Today the ACLU and many of its affiliates across the country will hold events as part of the ACLU's National Day of Action Against Racial Discrimination. 

This evening's event will be held at 6:00 pm at the Esperanza Center for Peace and Justice, and more information about the work of the ACLU of Texas fighting racial discrimination across the state, can be found here: http://www.aclutx.org/projects/racialprofiling.php.

A copy of the ACLU's report on the U.S. government's report to CERD can be found online at: http://www.aclu.org/cerd  

More information on the ACLU's Human Rights Program can be found online at: www.aclu.org/intlhumanrights/gen/30079pub20070612.html

More information on the ACLU's Racial Justice Program can be found online at: www.aclu.org/racialjustice/index.html.

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