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The causes and effects of racial profiling in law enforcement
The causes and effects of racial profiling in law enforcement
Racial profiling and its effects on society
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Racial profiling is the most idiotic and arrogant thing you can ever do as a person. Usually the people who are affected by racial profiling are minorities, however, any person can be a victim of racial profiling. Some may think that racial profiling is non-existent, however, I would like to bring the situation into focus and show that it is still in existence and has been observed in the past and now in the current year. Although, more than fifty percent of the time racial profiling is conducted it is against a man or woman of color; an African-American in other words. There are instances where a white person can be a victim as well. Trying not to say that there isn't any person out there that is exempted from racial profiling, because there isn't a single person who is just exempted from this cruel method of decision making. In my essay I will talk about racial profiling and what it is, however, you can't forget about where it happens and of course why. Several resolutions will be discussed in this essay to alleviate this problem. Racial profiling is simply this, the color or race of a person while making a decision regarding that person. Usually when being racially profiled you are automatically marked as the worst example of your race. It is amazing the amount of things that a person can make up about your race. Most of the things they say are not true at all. You can't just say, “well all black people carry guns and eat chicken and watermelon.” You're racially profiling this person because of what you've observed among other black people. In this case, this is just morally wrong. Despite color a person of any creed can carry a gun, eat chicken, and watermelon. This statement would make you look completely idiotic... ... middle of paper ... ... victimized. Works Cited "Commentary: 'Gates' a case of racial profiling?" Daily Record [Rochester, NY] 12 Aug. 2009. General OneFile. Web. 6 Dec. 2009. . "Rulings says Utah district engaged in racial profiling." American School & University [Online Exclusive] (2009). General OneFile. Web. 6 Dec. 2009. . "Feds to investigate racial profiling claims." New Haven Register [New Haven, CT] 3 Dec. 2009. General OneFile. Web. 6 Dec. 2009. . Law Enforcement Action Forum Newsletter. State of Michigan, City of Jackson, Oct 2001. Web. Oct. 2001 .
Racial profiling is the tactic of stopping someone because of the color of his or her skin and a fleeting suspicion that the person is engaging in criminal behavior (Meeks, p. 4-5). This practice can be conducted with routine traffic stops, or can be completely random based on the car that is driven, the number of people in the car and the race of the driver and passengers. The practice of racial profiling may seem more prevalent in today’s society, but in reality has been a part of American culture since the days of slavery. According to Tracey Maclin, a professor at the Boston University School of Law, racial profiling is an old concept. The historical roots “can be traced to a time in early American society when court officials permitted constables and ordinary citizens the right to ‘take up’ all black persons seen ‘gadding abroad’ without their master’s permission” (Meeks, p. 5). Although slavery is long since gone, the frequency in which racial profiling takes place remains the same. However, because of our advanced electronic media, this issue has been brought to the American public’s attention.
Imagine driving home, on a pleasant evening, after a tedious day at work. Just as you are about to arrive to your neighborhood, you notice blue and red flashing lights and pull over. It seems the police officer has no reason for stopping you, except to search your vehicle because of your suspiciously perceived skin tone. This unnecessary traffic stop, designed for people of colored skin, happens on numerous occasions and has been termed Driving While Black or Brown. Racial profiling is the act of using race or ethnicity as grounds for suspecting someone of having committed a crime.
Wilkins, V. M., & Williams, B. N. (2008). Black or blue: Racial profiling and representative
For the past few years there has been an ongoing debate surrounding the issue of racial profiling. The act of racial profiling may rest on the assumption that African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to commit crimes than any individual of other races or ethnicities. Both David Cole in the article "The Color of Justice" and William in the article "Road Rage" take stance on this issue and argue against it in order to make humanity aware of how erroneous it is to judge people without evidence. Although Cole and William were very successful in matters of showing situations and qualitative information about racial profiling in their articles, both of them fail at some points.
The key to understanding racialized profiling is to understand what systemic discrimination and profiling mean. Systemic discrimination sometimes called systemic racism is defined as, “Patterns and practices… which, although they may not be intended to disadvantage any group, can have the effect of disadvantaging or permitting discrimination against… racial minorities” (Comack, 2012, p30). Profiling in policing is defined as,
Before any argument can be made against racial profiling, it is important to understand what racial profiling is. The American Civil Liberties Union, defines racial profiling as "the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual's race, ethnicity, religion or national origin"(Racial Profiling: Definition). Using this definition we can determine that racial profiling excludes any evidence of wrong-doing and relies solely on the characteristics listed above. We can also see that racial profiling is different from criminal profiling, which uses evidence of wrong-doing and facts which can include information obtained from outside sources and evidence gathered from investigation. Based on these definitions, I will show that racial profiling is unfair and ineffective because it relies on stereotyping, encourages discrimination, and in many cases can be circumvented.
Black students and faculty members at many campuses charge that racial profiling is a fact of life for them, but this student’s experience immediately attracted wide attention. His father is a New York Times columnist who has written about racial profiling and whose Twitter feed attracts many eyeballs.
Even the United States struggles with issues of racial discrimination despite being a society highly based on immigrants and multicultural diversity. On one hand, people frown on treatment based on race, whether that is on an individual or group level. On the other, people are tired and annoyed by the seemingly constant call of discrimination. All of these feelings culminate into the debate pertaining to the use of racial profiling. Likewise, there are some individuals that hold a certain level of acceptance in regard to racial profiling. However, what is lost in the process because of that acceptance? There are many components that need to be thought about in reference to the use of racial profiling. In addition, it can be viewed from varying perspectives, such as through the use of statistics, by looking at social norms and taking into account moral/ethical values. Although racial profiling has been denounced, its use has continued to come up repeatedly. Furthermore, it is very apparent that certain circumstances cause the use concept of racial profiling to resurface.
According to this journalist account, over the past decade the police force has been brutally “targeting” those of the black community. The statistical data of this ranged from about 380 to over 400 black individuals in the past year (Wines 10); these findings are composed of racial
This essay will bring to light the problem of racial profiling in the police force and propose the eradication of any discrimination. The Fourth Amendment states “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” Despite this right, multiple minorities across the country suffer at the hands of police officers through racial profiling; the singling out of a person or persons as the main suspect of a crime based on their race. Many people have also suffered the loss of a loved one because police believed the suspect to be a threat based on their races therefore the officers use their authority to take out the “threat”. Although racial profiling may make sense to police officers in the line of duty, through the eyes of the public and those affected by police actions, it is a form a racism that is not being confronted and is allowing unjust convictions and deaths.
Racial profiling in America, as evidenced by recent events, has reached a critical breaking point. No longer can an African American, male or female, walk into a store, school, or any public place without fear of being stereotyped as a person of suspicion. Society constantly portrays the African American
Racial profiling is defined as targeting and further investigating a specific group of people due to that group’s race, religion, ethnicity, or national origin. The policy regarding racial profiling has been a great debate in the United States over the last few years due to tragic events that have been either a result of racial profiling, or an occurrence due to the lack of it. Like any other policy, racial profiling only began in order to protect the citizens of our country. Law enforcement is obligated to some degree to “racially profile” those who fit the criteria of targeted national threats. Unfortunately, like any other law enforced act, racial profiling can get out of hand and hurt more than save, which is obviously cruel and unfair. However, with the proper boundaries and examination, racial profiling can be more of an advantage than a disadvantage to our country and is, therefore, a policy that should continue. The
Can you imagine being stopped by the police on your way to an everyday activity, soon to find out that it was all because of the color of your skin? This is called racial profiling, defined as: “a controversial and illegal discriminatory practice in which individuals are targeted for suspicion of crimes based on their ethnicity,race,or religion rather than on evidence-based suspicious behavior”(Racial Profiling).This is a growing problem that can happen to anyone at anytime due to lingering racism and ignorance that still exists today. Racial profiling isn’t fair to anyone. People should be judged on the kind of person they are rather than how they look. Some say that racial profiling is a problem that only African American can relate to ,but
In an article titled “General Progress,” written by Grayden Goyette, the author describes that nearly 32 million people reported that they were unfairly singled out by law enforcements only because of their ethnicity. But why does this kind of thing always happen though? Continuing to reflect on the article, Goyette goes on to say that most states in the U.S simply do not have a policy against racial profiling and in doing so, law enforcements fail to get rid of this lack of justice. In the article it writes
Profiling could be a very controversial subject due to the fact that people assume that the police officers have an entitlement to stop and search only people that they believe have committed, or are about to commit a crime. The prevention aspect of profiling people seems to threaten society’s Fourth Amendment, and to justify what Americans call a warrantless search. The Fourth is designed to “protect individuals against unreasonable searches and seizures by police officers.” (194) Statics show that one in three African men will serve time in prison if this trend was to continue. In addition, there are even more worries when it comes to racial profiling. The worries about racial profiling are that any profiling based on a person race may create a problem in society, this racism may lead to the abuse and unfair treatment of