The Boston Police Department’s record of bias against black men means that innocent black men may have legitimate reasons to flee from officers, according to a Tuesday ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. In other words, if a black man flees an approaching police officer that wouldn’t necessarily be enough to justify “reasonable suspicion” in stopping and interrogating him, as first reported by WBUR News. Under the U.S. Constitution, “reasonable suspicion” is the minimum standard that allows law enforcement officers to conduct brief stops and detentions. The court cited the report in its ruling, as well as data published by the BPD. He pointed out that under the law, anyone has the right to “not engage” with police if the officers don’t have reasonable suspicion to stop them.

Source: Huffington Post September 21, 2016 19:18 UTC