The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has denied a district attorney's petition to reconsider its decision in Commonwealth v. Warren, which ruled that Black men in Boston have legitimate reason to flee police out of fear of racial profiling. The Court's ruling in the case cited a 2014 report from the ACLU of Massachusetts, based on Boston Police Department data, which found significant racial disparities in Boston policing.

“The Warren decision is one of the nation’s most significant cases on race and policing since the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement” said Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. “By upholding its historic ruling in this case, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has confirmed that state courts play a vital role in protecting  the civil rights and civil liberties. We hope the Boston police and other departments around the state will take this decision to heart and move toward full implementation of body worn cameras, police-civilian receipts, and other measure to improve police accountability and police-civilian relations.”

Click here for the ACLU of Massachusetts’ 2014 report "Black, Brown and Targeted." 

Click here to view the ACLU of Massachusetts’ amicus brief in response to the rehearing petition.