Persuasive Essay On Racial Profiling

Racial Profiling has been an issue in America since before most people can remember. Benjamin Todd Jealous once said that “Racial profiling punishes innocent individuals for the past actions of those who look and sound like them. It misdirects crucial resources and undercuts the trust needed between law enforcement and the communities they serve. It has no place in our national discourse, and no place in our nation 's police departments.” (Huffingtonpost.com) From the time that the Civil rights movement began to the rioting in Baltimore, New York many things have changed, but not enough to benefit us all living here in the United States. A person of color remains 31% more likely to get pulled over in a traffic stop. African Americans have
Black men and women alike must be strong-minded because daily interactions with police officers and the public can be mentally exhausting. Black men are however more like than women to deal with these looks of terror on people’s faces and the aftermath of what happens. When staples speaks of his feeling after his encounter with a white woman he says he was surprised, embarrassed and dismayed. This is the initial reaction of a majority of people this happens to. Questions they ask themselves afterwards may include “Do I look dangerous?” or “Will there be a day that this doesn’t happen to me?”, questions that cause feelings of self doubt and hopelessness . Staples also states the he grew well acquainted with but never comfortable with people who crossed to the other side of the street rather than pass by him. Taking extra precautions that would be otherwise unnecessary for a trip to the store like carrying a camera and proof that they work where they claim they do. In the article “The Disproportionate Risk of Driving While Black” written by the New York Times, Rufus Scales was driving his younger brother Devin to his haircutting class. Two police pulled them over for minor infractions that included expired license plates and failing to hang a flag from scrap metal in the bed of the truck. Rufus was assaulted by the officers and left the scene with four traffic tickets, a charge for
The riots and looting in Ferguson, Missouri after police shot and killed Michael Brown were devastating. Costing Ferguson about $4.2 million dollars when rioting ended was a financial burden to the county. Hospitalization for victims of racial profiling is an extra cost to them and an extra cost to the government. Police targeting African Americans in traffic stops and on the street leads to confrontation and the physical injury of the person of color. It is unnecessary for these encounters to occur or for hospitalization to be the result. The Arizona county will be paying for the injustices of their police officers for the next year. The monetary cost could have been avoided if the justice system was not