The ACLU of Georgia will release a human rights report Tuesday, March 23^rd, on racial profiling in Gwinnett County, entitled “The Persistence of Racial Profiling in Gwinnett: Time for Accountability, Transparency, and an End to 287(g).”  The report, released on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, is based on interviews with community members directly affected by racial profiling in Gwinnett County as well as public records requests and interviews with law enforcement agencies in Gwinnett.  The report comes a few months after the implementation of the 287(g) program in Gwinnett and follows the introduction of anti-racial profiling legislation by State Senator Gloria Butler and State Representative Pedro Marin.

“As testimonies from community members demonstrate, racial profiling by law enforcement was already prevalent in Gwinnett even prior to the implementation of 287(g) and has continued after the program’s implementation,” said Azadeh Shahshahani, ACLU of Georgia National Security/Immigrants’ Rights Project Director and the report editor.  “Prompt action by state and county officials is necessary to combat this unconstitutional practice.  The passage of anti-racial profiling legislation requiring training, oversight, as well as comprehensive collection and documentation of stop and search data would be an important first step.”

The press conference announcing the release of the report will be Tuesday, March 23^rd, at 10 a.m., in Room 605 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building.  Speakers at the press conference will include: Azadeh Shahshahani, the ACLU of Georgia National Security/Immigrants’ Rights Project Director; Reverend Tracy Blagec, ABLE; Adelina Nicholls, Executive Director, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights; Edward Dubose, President, Georgia State Conference NAACP; and others.

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The ACLU of Georgia’s mission is to advance the cause of civil liberties in Georgia, with emphasis on rights of free speech, free assembly, freedom of religion, due process of law and to take all legitimate action in the furtherance of such purposes without political partisanship.

The ACLU of Georgia National Security/Immigrants’ Rights project is aimed at bringing Georgia and its localities into compliance with international human rights and constitutional standards in treatment of refugee and immigrant communities, including immigrant detainees.