Racial Profiling Is Unfair

600 Words2 Pages

Although some would believe that racial profiling does not occur and if it does it is used to keep the society safe, it is more correct to say that it disrespects and mistreats innocent citizens. More and more people are being stopped each year for crimes they did not commit and being singled out because of their race. Being racially profiled, harassed and mistreated is something that Latinos, Asians and African Americans go through every day. I believe that people should not be stopped and judged because of physical appearance. This is something that takes away ones individual’s rights and is very disrespectful.
People are beginning to be stopped for the way they are dressed or even worse by the color of their skin or the culture they were born in which is something that they cannot change. Some races being stopped and frisked more than others. As said in the article Jim Crow Policing “an over whelming 84 percent of the stops in the first three-quarters of 2009 were of black or Hispanic New Yorkers” (Herbert 37). How would you feel about being harassed because of your heritage and color of your skin? Most people will get angry and upset and I believe we have the right to because it is unfair to be singled out for something like that. Families are discouraged to go on trips, because they don’t want to be inconvenienced by law enforcement for their image. As said in the article, Hollywood couple stopped by police, say they were racially profiled, “I’ve been stopped by police before, but I never been fearful for my life” (Duke Hawkins-Gaar 1). This was said by Johnson a young woman who was trying to go on a romantic getaway with her boyfriend until they were stopped to be frisked by police, because of being African American.
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... police, say they were racially profiled, “…whenever she returns from Los Angeles to her hometown she gets stopped by police 80% of the time and questioned about drugs” (Duke Hawkins-Gaar 3). We should give people the courtesy when they are stopped and watch how much we do it.
It is wrong and unjust of us to judge someone upon their race it makes us look and feel ignorant. I believe we should all be treated fairly even though we don’t all look the same. Law enforcement needs to reduce the amount of people stopped and frisked. We wouldn’t like to be judged based on completely different people so we shouldn’t do it to others.

Works Cited

Duke, Alan. Hawkins-Gaar, Katie. “Hollywood couple stopped by police, say they were racially profiled.” CNN Entertainment 1 October 2013: 3. < http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/30/showbiz/cherie-johnson-dennis-white-police-irpt/ >.

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