MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Decarcerate Memphis is trying to minimize the most common interaction between people and police — traffic stops.
Kathy Yancey-Temple and Chelsea Glass are members of Decarceate Memphis.
They said something had to be done to minimize pretextual stops in the city because it leads to unnecessary tickets, arrests, illegal searches, or violence. For some, the cases of Darrius Stewart and Martavious Banks come to mind.
"We do not need armed guards handing out traffic tickets, especially when we have young people ending up dead behind a simple traffic violation," Yancey-Temple said.
The group focused on their first brake light clinic in the Douglass neighborhood. According to data that Decarcerate Memphis obtained from the Memphis Police Department, there is an average of more than 35,000 traffic stops in council district 7 every year from 2011-2018.
Yancey-Temple said the department should put their efforts and resources towards other issues.
She said a few months ago her own son, who has intellectual disabilities, was stopped by police because they couldn't read his plate. She said he ended up getting arrested, hurt, and his license suspended. She said they are still waiting on bodycam footage to show what happened during the traffic stop, but now her son's job is on the line because he doesn't have his license to get to work.
"No traffic violation is worth anyone's life," she said.
Every month, the social justice coalition hosts free brake light clinics at various locations across Memphis.
The next free clinic will be on Saturday, Nov. 6 in Orange Mound at Orange Mound Tower from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.