America’s best weekly ‘Blackout’ wins local kickball championship Page A11
Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 113 No. 36 Two Sections
SEPTEMBER 7-13, 2022
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Yet another reason why African Americans can be pulled over by police Superior Court panel rules all parts of license plate must be completely visible by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Police officers in Pennsylvania could be justified in pulling you over simply because any—that’s right, any—part of the wording on your license plate is obstructed. That includes small letters such as the “visitpa. com” website at the bottom of most Pennsylvania license plates, oftentimes obstructed by license plate frames. The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that a three-judge panel of the Pa. Superior Court ruled in favor of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office in a 2021 case involving a Philadelphia police officer who pulled over a driver simply because the state tourism website was partially obstructed on the vehicle’s license plate. That police stop eventually resulted in a search of the passenger side of the
vehicle, where a gun was found, and ammunition was found in the pocket of the passenger, Derrick Ruffin, a Black man. The
COURIER IN-DEPTH REPORT panel made its ruling on Aug. 23, reversing a ruling made by the lower courts, which agreed with Ruffin’s appeal to suppress the incriminating evidence that was found by the officer. Ruffin argued that there was no basis for the vehicle stop because the officer could read the number on the registration plate, and there was no question as to SEE LICENSE PLATE A10
IF YOU HAVE A LICENSE PLATE FRAME THAT COVERS ANY WORDING OF THE PA REGISTRATION PLATE, YOU COULD BE PULLED OVER BY POLICE, THE NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER HAS LEARNED.
Kelly Davis settling in as new exec. dir. of New Voices for Reproductive Justice Replaced La’Tasha D. Mayes, who’s running for state Rep. by Emily Sauchelli PublicSource
Kelly Davis’ passion for advocacy stems from when she was a child and her mother, a nurse, lost a baby very late into her pregnancy. “I realized that was not the natural order of things and I saw that tore my family apart, even to this day,” she said. “Despite the fact that it was over 30 years ago, it’s something that weighs heavily on my mother’s mind.” Davis has made it her mission to educate herself and others on reproductive issues. “I’ve dedicated my life to understanding why even when no risk factors are present and a person is in good health and has good
medical care that you can still wind up losing your life in pregnancy and the life of your child. Based on the scientific research, the answers are clearly structural racism,” she said. Davis is the executive director at New Voices for Reproductive Justice, a nonprofit organization that serves Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Cleveland. The aim of the organization is to prioritize the health and wellness of Black women and girls by fostering leadership development and advocating for reproductive justice and human rights. Davis took over the position from co-founder La’Tasha D. Mayes in February. Mayes has thrown her hat in the political ring by runSEE NEW EXEC. DIR. A9
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KELLY DAVIS, the executive director of New Voices for Reproductive Justice, sits for a portrait on Wednesday, Aug. 17, at The Art Room in the Strip District. Davis took over for the founder and former executive director, La’Tasha D. Mayes, in February. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource)