Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
In Beverly Hills Police Racial Profiling Case, 2 Black LAPD Officers Say They Were Pulled Over
Beverly Hills police traffic officers stand guard in November 2020 on Rodeo Drive. An ongoing civil rights lawsuit alleges Beverly Hills police have engaged in a practice of harassing Black people on and around Rodeo Drive.
(
Kevork Djansezian
/
Getty Images
)
Two Black LAPD officers say they were among those racially profiled by the Beverly Hills Police Department, according to an attorney representing plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against the city. The lawsuit alleges Beverly Hills police engaged in a pattern of targeting Black people on and around Rodeo Drive.
The LAPD officers were both on-duty members of the SWAT unit but driving unmarked cars, according to attorney Bradley Gage. One was in uniform. The stops allegedly were for traffic violations. Gage said one of the officer reported having a gun pulled on him.
The Beverly Hills Police Department did not immediately respond to a written request for comment. In the past, it has said it polices without regard to race.
Lawsuit alleges history of discrimination
"It tells us it doesn't matter who you are in Beverly Hills," said Gage. "If you are a police officer getting pulled over for driving while Black, the ordinary citizen should be terrified going to the city of Beverly Hills if you're Black."
Support for LAist comes from
Nationally recognized attorney Benjamin Crump, who represented the family of George Floyd, is also representing plaintiffs in this case, which was first filed in 2021. Crump and Gage are asking for $500 million in damages.
Last month, they said new numbers showed that of more than 1,000 Black people arrested, only two were convicted of crimes.
At that time, Shepherd York, 47, said police pulled him over for expired tags and held him in jail for three days for allegedly not paying restitution in an old DUI case.
“I’m still traumatized," he said. "I’m uncomfortable being in Beverly Hills. I no longer work in Beverly Hills."
Beverly Hills responded in a statement that called the stats misleading — because they include people who were cited and released. The statement also said police enforce the law regardless of race.
The backstory
The lawsuit initially was brought by Jasmine Williams, 30, and Khalil White, 24. The Philadelphia couple was arrested by Beverly Hills police during a visit in September 2020. They were riding a scooter together at the time of the arrest.
Support for LAist comes from
“We were enjoying ourselves on vacation,” Khalil said in 2021. “The arrest was traumatizing.” He said they were riding the scooter on the sidewalk, which is legal in their home city.
Khalil, who said he had visited Beverly Hill five times previously with no issues, spent the night in jail. Williams spent about eight hours behind bars. They were charged with two misdemeanors — riding a scooter on the sidewalk and resisting arrest.
LAist analyzed arrest data provide by the city of Beverly Hills in October 2021 and found that nearly all of the people arrested by a special unit of the Beverly Hills Police Department assigned to Rodeo Drive during a two-month period in 2020 year were Black. From that report:
We requested the information after two people filed a class-action lawsuit accusing police of targeting Black people on the world-famous street because of their race.
The data shows 80 of the 90 people who were arrested were Black. Three were white. Almost all of those arrested were males between the ages of 18 and 30.
Two percent of the city’s residents identify as Black and 78% identify as white, according to the 2020 Census.
Read the lawsuit
Support for LAist comes from
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago. -
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
Best of LAist