Area teacher questions why he’s considered white in traffic stop

By ANGIE RICONO, CYNDI FAHRLANDER

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    Kansas City, Missouri (KCTV) — Justin Robinson is a Kansas City teacher. He was driving home from school earlier this month when he was stopped by police for speeding.

He says other cars were going faster than he was and believes he was targeted.

“Okay, I’m getting pulled over,” Robinson told us. “This is interesting, you know. And that’s when I felt I was going to be racially profiled.”

Robinson believes he was stopped because he is black. So, it was surprising that, on the ticket, he is identified as white. Robinson was stopped at 3:49 in the afternoon.

“I feel strongly that it was a deliberate act,” said Robinson. “It was daytime, there was enough light he clearly saw that was a black man. He marked me as white.”

Robinson wonders if police are trying to skew the numbers in reports.

“So, I’m thinking okay, this happened to me,” said Robinson. “How many other black people get pulled over and they mark their race white? What are they doing? What’s the bigger issue here?”

Known Issue in Missouri

Records show that Missouri Police Departments pull over a disproportionate number of black drivers. Every year, the Missouri Attorney General’s office releases a vehicle stops report. Recent data shows white drivers are pulled over less, as are other races. Black drivers are stopped more often.

The annual reports are on reason why the NAACP issued a warning to members about driving in Missouri.

The organization even suggests drivers travel with bail money.

Police response

We reached out to the Kansas City Police Department about Robinson’s experience.

Police also say a driver’s license does not indicate race—it shows sex, weight, height and eye color. KCPD says officers do not ask drivers their race.

Robinson calls that response a literal “cop out.”

He maintains that bi-racial should be an option. And he is using this experience as a teaching moment in his classroom.

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