'Biking While Black' Leads to Higher Risk of Bicycle-Related Stops by MPLS Police: Report

A new report finds that black bicyclists in Minneapolis are stopped more often for minor violations than white bicyclists. The report is based on public data obtained from the Fourth District Court and the Minneapolis Police Department Office of Public Information, according to a news release.

Volunteers obtained public data for all bicycle-related citations and arrests during a six-year timespan, according to the report.

The report, Bicycle Citations and Related Arrests in Minneapolis, 2009-2015, was researched and compiled by Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition volunteers.

Analysts say the arrest data in the report suggest that it is highly probable that black bicyclists in Minneapolis face greater threats of police stops than white bicyclists, especially for "minor infractions" including riding on the sidewalk or without lights.

Although each stop started with a bicycle-related offense, 15 percent of stops resulted in charges and outcomes more severe than a citation for bicycle violations alone, according to the report.

Prior to Sept. 2016, Minneapolis police did not track the race and/or ethnicity of people receiving citations, according to the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, but arrest records from the Computer Assisted Police Records System (CAPRS) did.

Analysts say the report reveals that arrestees were almost exclusively male (96 percent) and 48 percent of arrestees were black.

In comparison, 18 percent of Minneapolis residents are black. The Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition says that findings on the race/ethnicity of people receiving citations were not feasible due to the lack of public data.

“Even though we could not track race and ethnicity with citations, we got a fairly clear picture with the arrest data. We were particularly surprised by the amount of juveniles, many of them youth of color, that were wrapped up in arrests that started with a minor bike infraction,” project manager Melody Hoffmann said in a statement.

Utilizing interactive and static maps, analysts say the report also shows where the Minneapolis police gives out the majority of bicycle citations and the most common bicycle-related infractions.

The report recommends that bicycle advocacy organizations and police departments work together to ensure bicyclist safety and the following of regulations.

The report also thats that the Minneapolis Bike Coalition "supports the recent announcement that the Minneapolis Police Department will begin recording the race and gender for all suspicious person, suspicious

vehicle and traffic stops."

You can download the report for more findings, methodology, and recommendations.

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