About 1/5 of arrests at Texas traffic stops in 2019 - 64,100 statewide - were ppl taken to jail for "Class C" misdemeanors, for which the maximum punishment supposedly is a fine, not jail time. That's more people than were arrested statewide for marijuana possession that year. https://twitter.com/Prison_Health/status/1359995644623126529
A provision to stop these arrests was removed from Texas' #SandraBland Act in 2017, giving us data collection instead. (That's how we got the 64,100 number.) Now, similar language has been proposed in the #TexasGeorgeFloydAct, with another chance to pass at the #txlege this year.
In addition, about a quarter of arrests at traffic stops (24%) were ppl arrested for outstanding traffic warrants, pulled out of their car in the middle of their lives and hauled off to jail for debt. These folks truly have the "Debtors Prison Blues." https://archive.org/details/DebtorsPrisonBluesMix1
You can follow @Grits4Breakfast.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled:
Those who think consciousness raising & movement building are disconnected, or even a distraction from electoral politics have not paid attention to the history of social change.In this thread, we
Read more
The 2020s will be known as the Remote Work decadeA few predictions of what is likely to emerge[ a thread ] Third Space: Office and Working from Home will
Read more
1/29: Have you ever had a concept explained to you that helps frame complex issues you’ve been wrestling with and opens your eyes to new possibilities? A concept that I
Read more
By continuing to use the site, you are consenting to the use of cookies as explained in our Cookie Policy to improve your experience.