Missouri is gaining national attention after the NAACP issued a travel advisory, the first time the organization has done so for a state.
The advisory, issued in June, warns people to use extreme caution in the state due to the risk of unnecessary search seizure and potential arrest.
Missouri passed what the organization is referring to as “The Jim Crow” bill and several recent instances of police brutality.
"The advisory is for people to be aware, and warn their families and friends and co-workers of what could happen in Missouri," Rod Chapel, president of the Missouri chapter of the NAACP told the Kansas City Star.
He added: “People need to be ready, whether it’s bringing bail money with them, or letting relatives know they are traveling through the state.”
“You have violations of civil rights that are happening to people. They’re being pulled over because of their skin color, they’re being beaten up or killed,” Chapel said. “We are hearing complaints at a rate we haven’t heard before.”
The advisory discusses recent incidents, including the death of Tory Sanders, who died in a jail cell after running out of gas in Mississippi County, Missouri, and a hot glue gun attack on African-American teens in St. Louis.
The advisory points to "The Jim Crow" bill which will go into effect on Aug. 28 and will force individuals to prove that race, gender or religion are "motivating" factors for the discrimination not just "contributing," according to CBS News.
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