A wide-ranging crime bill has received overwhelming approval in the House, but not until members of the Black Caucus had their say. The caucus held up the vote on the bill to center criticism on three portions: making it a crime to not show police an ID and a misdemeanor to interfere with police or provide false identification, and allowing police to hold someone up to 32 hours without filing a charge. Representative Yaphett El-Amin of St. Louis says too many members of the Black Caucus have seen police abuse their power when stopping young, black men for what is commonly called “Driving While Black” or “DWB.” Other provisions enjoy widespread support and the body overwhelmingly approves the measure and sends it to the Senate.
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