PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An Oregon lawmaker is sharing concerns of possible racial bias after getting pulled over for traffic stops twice in three days while leaving Salem.
According to a release from Rep. Travis Nelson’s office, he was pulled over Monday for going 11 miles over the speed limit. Then on Tuesday, he was pulled over for holding a cell phone while taking a call on a speaker phone. Nelson was let off with a warning in both instances.
“I’ve been stopped by law enforcement over 40 times, so this is nothing new to me. My white colleagues have not been profiled the way I have throughout my lifetime, and they certainly have not been pulled over by OSP twice in three days for low-tier offenses as I have been,” Nelson said. “While I was let off with a warning on both occasions, I know that things could have ended very differently. I know that I could have been the next Tyre Nichols. I’m grateful to be alive and to be able to call attention to the change we need in our system.”
Oregon State Police released a statement saying they have spoken with Nelson and “heard his concerns regarding these stops and the potential for racial bias.”
“We take any allegation of racial bias seriously and are committed to eradicating racism from our profession and we seek to understand how our enforcement efforts impact the communities we serve,” OSP said.