Profiling? Cincinnati Police Target Big Rims

NewsOne reports that police in Cincinnati have taken to impounding cars with rims 20 inches or larger, citing a vague public-safety code that they say gives them the authority to do so. Suggested Reading Comparing 2020, a Trash Year Black Folks, to an Even Worse 2025 If Tinsel and Glitter Isn’t Your Thing, You’ll Love These…

NewsOne reports that police in Cincinnati have taken to impounding cars with rims 20 inches or larger, citing a vague public-safety code that they say gives them the authority to do so.

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After being impounded, the vehicles must pass a safety inspection before they can be returned to their owners, who pay a fee for that as well as one for towing.

The rims, known as “donks,” have become popular with black drivers. Police say it’s simple: Their disproportionate size makes them dangerous (watch the video below), but others wonder about what’s really motivating the enforcement efforts:

As one auto blogger put it,

I’m not a donk guy, myself, but this whole thing just stinks of profiling to me. If you really want to improve safety, why not begin ticketing distracted drivers, who pose more of a risk than someone rolling on a set of 24″ rims? If window-rattling bass is the real issue, pass a noise ordinance and begin handing out tickets to offending drivers. If the real issue is a crackdown on culture foreign to you, where does it end?

Read more at NewsOne and Automotive Addicts.

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