Delaware State University Women’s Lacrosse Team Allegedly Racially Profiled By Georgia Deputies, Officials Call For Investigation

May 16, 2022

A Delaware HBCU’s women’s lacrosse team was pulled over while returning from Florida last month by Georgia deputies who, by all indications, had no probable cause and no reason to suspect the team had done anything wrong. Now, police body camera footage of the search has been released and school officials at Delaware State University and Delaware’s attorney general are calling for an investigation into the incident.

From ABC News:

 

It really does appear to be just another instance of driving (or, in this case, riding) while Black. The deputies claim they pulled the bus over for a lane violation—but quickly cops going from a minor traffic infraction to, “Hey, while I’m here, I might as well search you for drugs and anything else we might be able to arrest you for” is an all too familiar occurrence for Black people on the road.

“If there is anything in y’all’s luggage, we’re probably gonna find it,” a deputy is heard saying in the video. “If there is something in there that is questionable, please tell me now because if we find it–guess what? We’re not gonna be able to help you. We are in the state of Georgia. Marijuana is still illegal in the state of Georgia.”

But how did we even get to marijuana?

“Believe it or not, the majority of the drugs and large amounts of money, trafficking children, trafficking anything up and down these interstates, that’s what we look for,” a deputy told the students on the bus. “We’re not saying that it’s even happening here. But however, this is how we start an investigation.”

Before the deputies even got on the bus, one of them reportedly said: “There’s a bunch of dang school girls on the bus. There’s probably some weed. Maybe.”

Liberty County Sheriff William Bowman claimed that everything the deputies did was lawful and followed protocol. He also said there was probable cause for the search because of an alert from the K9, whatever that means. (And at any rate, nothing illegal was found on the bus. So maybe cops shouldn’t be allowed to search a vehicle every time their K9 unit gets a little restless.)

“At the time, or even in the weeks following, we were not aware that this stop was received as racial profiling,” Bowman said. “Although I do not believe any racial profiling took place based on the information I currently have, I welcome feedback from our community on ways that our law enforcement practices can be improved while still maintaining the law.”

But the feedback has already been given and is clear.

Delaware State University President Tony Allen said the videos that were released “clearly show law enforcement members attempting to intimidate our student-athletes into confessing to possession of drugs and/or drug paraphernalia.” He also called the incident a “trying and humiliating process” for the team.

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