Montana bill targets 'Driving While Indian'

Monday, February 26, 2007  

Montana State Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, a member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe, is once again pushing a bill that targets racial profiling.

State law outlaws racial profiling. But Windy Boy says too many people are stopped for DWI, or " Driving While Indian" or are targeted due to their Indian heritage.

"I do submit that when you have dark skin, and you're walking into a store and being followed up and down the aisles in suspicion, then there's something wrong," Windy Boy said at a hearing on Friday, The Great Falls Tribune reported.

As introduced, House Bill 781 would have required all law enforcement agencies to collect data on the racial and ethnic backgrounds of people they stop. In face of opposition from state police, the bill was changed to require periodic reviews and investigations if racial profiling is detected.

Get the Story:
Windy Boy aims to stop 'other' DWI —profiling (The Great Falls Tribune 2/24)
Racial profiling bill moves from committee to floor (The Havre Daily News 2/26)