Short Reads
While it was only the final, fatal traffic stops of black drivers Sandra Bland and Philando Castille that made headlines, both drivers had long suffered in America’s racist system of traffic policing. Both had been frequently stopped and harassed by police for minor violations, issued tickets, and then overwhelmed by traffic fine debt and license suspensions.
The Mayor of New York City and union representatives gather periodically to define a new contract for the NYPD. New York City taxpayers are noticeably absent when police contracts are negotiated despite the fact that the police budget is funded entirely through taxpayer dollars. What occurs during contract negotiations is undisclosed to the public, and only the final, ratified contract is available for New Yorkers to examine. Therefore, the public is left blind as to what or how their representatives are negotiating at these closed-door meetings as government representatives make and reject offers without public criticism.
