The Black Lives Matter movement reinforces that race dominates all
aspects of the judicial system. Police officers are significantly more
likely to stop African Americans than Whites. Even when a stop or
arrest is unwarranted, law enforcement agencies can still profit from
the property seized under the guise of forfeiture statutes. Various state
and federal civil asset forfeiture statutes legitimize law enforcement
seizing cash, homes, cars, and office equipment—all with nominal due
process protections. Despite evidence of discriminatory police
practices, the U.S. Supreme Court deems these forfeiture practices
constitutional.
This article seeks to reignite the conversation about discriminatory
policing and how racially biased policing results in law enforcement
disproportionately seizing African Americans’ property suspected of
being related to illegal activity. But, it also attempts to situate issues
of protest movements as a vehicle to move the Supreme Court to
change discriminatory standards under forfeiture statutes.
“We shall not always plant while others reap
The golden increment of bursting fruit . . . .”