217 Today: Black drivers ‘stay ready,’ navigating low-level traffic stops

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Richard C. Jackson, a 40-year-old Navy veteran, has been pulled over by police for fuzzy dice hanging from his rear view mirror, failing to use a turn signal and, most recently, for not wearing a seatbelt. However, he believes the real reason for the stops was unsaid.
  • Photo: Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere / Sun-Times

September 29, 2023

Today’s headlines:

  • Illinois Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia says with only two days left to pass a spending plan, a federal government shutdown is highly likely.
  • As migrants continue arriving in Chicago, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker says the state has already – and will continue – to help.
  • The University of Illinois Police recently reported three incidents of sexual extortion affecting students. The scams occurred this month over three consecutive days.
  • As temperatures continue to climb year after year – engineers and architects are seeing flaws in our building codes.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn more about how often Black drivers are racially profiled during traffic stops – and what is being done to prevent this in Illinois.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting today contributed by Alex Degman, Mawa Iqbal, Elissa Eaton, Mae Antar and Michael Liptrot. 

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Stephanie Mosqueda

Stephanie Mosqueda is a senior majoring in journalism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with minors in Spanish and public relations. She is the 217 Today producer and a reporter for the Illinois Student Newsroom.