Rule 03.
Never Leave Home Without an ID
Listen To This Rule
Narrated by Adam Johnson
Black Americans are more likely to be profiled and hassled by police.
Imagine being arrested for entering your own home. Or being monitored and photographed for simply walking around your own
neighborhood
Julia Santos
On Monday, June 29, 2020, Julia Santos, a 21-year-old Black woman who lives in Groveland, Mass., was followed and harassed by an older white man on her way home from the store.
Without any form of identification, Black people risk being harassed,
jailed
Henry Louis Gates
Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates was arrested in his home in Cambridge, Mass., on July 16, 2009, when someone thought he was a burglar.
Let’s Erase this Rule
Here are some resources for you to educate yourself and inspire action.
ACLU, Know Your Rights — Police Interactions for Black and Brown People
Read the Race in America Book Series by Various Authors (Kids)
Read the Book Just Mercy — A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (Teens)
ProPublica, Walking While Black — Pedestrian Enforcement and Racial Profiling
Black Parents Explain How to Deal With the Police
Entering Campus Building While Black
ACLU, I Was Reported to Police as an ‘Agitated Black Male’ — For Simply Walking To Work
ACLU’s Tamir Rice Safety Handbook for Students on What To Do if You Are Stopped by the Police
The Eagle-Tribune, Groveland Man Accused of Following Black Woman Faces Charge of Disturbing the Peace
The NAACP Criminal Justice Fact Sheet
Plano police say charge dropped for 18-year-old arrested while walking home from work in the snow
Support the ACLU and Their Campaign Against Racial Profiling Which Includes Representation for Victims of Racial Profiling, Public Education, and Advocacy for Anti-Profiling Legislation
Support the NAACP’s Efforts To Create Sweeping Police Reform–A Zero-Tolerance Approach in Penalizing/Prosecuting Police Who Kill Unarmed, Non-Violent Individuals in an Arrest
Support the Leadership Conference and Power the Fight for Civil and Human Rights
Donate to the National Urban League
Donate to Know Your Rights Camp
Sign the Petition to #Defundthepolice
Sign up to help End the War on Black people
Sign the Petition To Stop the Culture of Warrior Policing
Sign This Petition: Police Are Not Above the Law! Demand the DOJ Investigate Police Killings and Harassment of African Americans
A Guide to Fair, Safe, and Effective Community Policing (handbook and toolkit)
Antiracist Resources and Reads – Lists for All Ages
7 Ways You Can Take Action for Racial Justice Now
Take Harvard’s Implicit Project Test and Find Out if You Have Any Bias Associations About Race
Become a Co-Sponsor of the BREATHE Act
Join Color of Change
Share on Your Social
Support the cause and empower others by downloading and sharing our rule cards. Be sure to tag @unwrittenrulesproject on Instagram and use the hashtag #erasetherules.
