Augusta – The ACLU of Maine today expects to receive a copy of a binder Gov. LePage says contains “every single drug dealer who has been arrested in our state.” The ACLU filed a Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) request for the binder after the governor mentioned its existence at a town hall meeting in August. He went on to say that 90 percent of those arrested are Black or Hispanic.
The governor’s office sent an email last week stating copies of the binder will be made available on CD this morning. The ACLU will have further comments after reviewing the contents.
The following can be attributed to Alison Beyea, executive director at the ACLU of Maine:
“If the governor has documents that show Maine police are nine times more likely to arrest people of color than white people, the public deserves to see them. And if the governor exaggerated the contents of these documents to stir up fear of people of color, the public deserves to know that too. These materials are necessary to a fully informed public discussion about important issues in our state, including police practices, racial justice and the conduct of our elected officials. We look forward to inspecting them closer and sharing their contents with the public.”
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