A Case Against Racial Profiling

I have been a police officer for nearly 10 years, and I have seen how the citizens we serve and the various media sources that surround us constantly scrutinize our actions. Simply because the actions of other officers may not be ethical, professional, or correct in the eyes of society, that should not determine the hatred towards all of the officers. Often people believe that police officers constantly and consciously commit racial profiling, but that is not the case. Chapter Four: Racial Profiling and the Law will be utilized to demonstrate the legal issues surrounding racial profiling that have led to changes in law enforcement.

Racial profiling in the dictionary is “the assumption of criminality among ethnic groups: the alleged policy of some police to attribute criminal intentions to members of some ethnic groups and to stop and question them in disproportionate numbers without probable cause (“Racial Profiling”).” In other words racial profiling is making assumptions that certain individuals are more likely to be involved in misconduct or criminal activity based on that individual’s race or ethnicity. Racial profiling propels a brutalizing message to citizens of the United States that they are pre-judged by the color of their skin rather than who they are and this then leads to assumptions of ruthlessness inside the American criminal justice system. With

It took ten minutes to convict George Stinney Jr. at age fourteen. It took seventy years after his execution to exonerate him. (Bever) For years, blacks have had to deal with racism left and right. There are numbers that prove how the authorities have continued to use racial profiling against those of black or Hispanic descent. Police around the world have continued to use racial profiling, even when they know it’s not in the training that they have received. Families and friends have experienced losses from the deaths of innocent people who were wrongfully killed by the police. Some people argue that racial profiling is wrong, but others have stated that it would bring us more protection

According to the 11 Facts about Racial Discrimination, “The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics concluded that an African American male born in 2001 has a 32% chance of going to jail in his lifetime, while a Latino male has a 17% chance, and a white male only has a 6% chance” (11 Facts about Racial Discrimination 1). Racial profiling, or discriminating against a whole group of people based on their race, is an unjust act and a big problem in our society today. Arresting people because of how they look like, or what they believe in is absurd. According to ACLU, “Racial Profiling refers to 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” (ACLU 1). Although law enforcement assumes they are doing their job, they need to remain objective and fair in all situations, because they are violating rights, lacking protection and risking lives.

One of the most imminent threats looming within American society is race relations. America is a melting pot of different races, cultures, and religions, yet the matter of racial profiling still remains prominent today. By definition it is considered “an activity carried out by enforcers of the law wherein they investigate or stop any individual in traffic or round up people of the same race or ethnicity for crime suspicion” (NYLN.org ). This profiling has become a significant catalyst in the tension that has been ensuing between minorities and the government. Hostility has grown due to the apparent and intentional targeting of “brown people”, and

Since the birth of our nation, racial profiling has been an issue longstanding and troubling among minority groups and still continues to exhibit severe consequences in communities.

The government and the law enforcement should come together and realize the negative impact it has on the country by racially profiling people. Law enforcement should make an effort to only fight crime and not judge civilians who could possibly be committing a crime from how they look.

The National Institute of Justice (“Racial Profiling”) stated that racial profiling, which is a form of discrimination, racism, and stereotypes is when law enforcement, based on a person’s race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion targets a person for suspicion of crimes. Today people can turn on their television, go online, and even listen to their radios and they will hear about racial profiling. Racial profiling is not anything new and has been going on throughout history; it goes all the way back to slavery. Racial profiling has recently started being recorded, which is why it has become such a huge national issue today, because people can no longer ignore it. This issue is not specific to one race, religion, ethnicity, or national origin. People of many races, religions, ethnicities, or national origins have been affected by racial profiling for years since the start of this country, but one group that has been affected by racial profiling at a high rate is African Americans. The goal of this paper is to analyze this main group that has and still is being affected by racial profiling and acknowledge other groups that are being affected as well.

On July 17, 2014, Eric Garner, an unarmed black man, was killed from a chokehold by an NYPD officer who had approached him for selling single cigarettes. On December 3, 2014 the grand jury did not indict the officer, rousing the public into an outrage of such racial profiling. Racial profiling is any use of race, religion, ethnicity, or national origin as a way to decide who should be investigated by law enforcement (Grabianowski 1). It is one of many controversial ways law enforcement profiles suspects. Since the time of Martin Luther King Jr., many claim that such conflict has ended eons ago, but the problem is still a festering wound on our society. Racial profiling causes citizens to distrust their law enforcement, is based on false assumptions, and is opposed by the Constitution.

Clearly identifying and acknowledging the existence of racial profiling is critical to understand its value or lack thereof in society. Racial profiling is not a new practice or term, the origins of racial profiling can be traced back to the days of slavery in America. African-American slaves were viewed as subservient and therefore inferior to whites. This view of African-Americans came with stereotypes such as laziness, ill-mannered, uncontrollable and predisposed to crime and violence. In 1693, Philadelphia courts enacted laws which allowed constables to stop and detain any “negro” seen walking around without their master (Maclin, 1998). The historical context of laws such as those passed in Philadelphia and elsewhere in the United States have a clear nexus to the subject of racial profiling.

The topic of racial profiling is very prominent in our American society. I witness accounts of it every day, whether it is while going through an airport, reading about crime, and it’s heavily influenced within the world of politics. Racial profiling is a way for law enforcement to target certain individuals that are suspected of committing a crime. This involves race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, etc. The act of racial profiling allows law enforcement to alienate certain communities, which, in turn creates racial divides and demonstrates a “militarization” of the police. Not only that, racial profiling is heavily influenced within American society through politics and the use of media.

Recently, there has been an epidemic in which minorities are being racially profiled on a daily basis. Individuals are being arrested, pulled over, and gunned down, simply because of the color of their skin. People cannot even walk down the street without someone thinking that they look suspicious. Whether the person is African American, Hispanic, Indian, or Muslim, racial profiling is wrong. With all of the recent controversy surrounding the problem, one would think that it would occur much less but that is not the case. Racial profiling has caused a recent uproar in America, and it has become the reason why many people have turned their backs on law enforcement for good.

African-Americans are the primary race being treated poorly. Throughout history, African Americans have gone through many hardships with being slaves and although slavery was abolished African Americans were still not granted their full freedom and they continued to be segregated from other races. African Americans hold many negative stereotypes most of which are not true. Due to these negative stereotypes, African Americans are most likely to be targeted by police and many other people for committing crimes. This is called racial profiling, and it is an issue going on around us.

Racism and racial stereotypes have existed throughout human history. The radical belief associated by thinking the skin color, language, or a person’s nationality is the reason that someone is one way or another has become extremely detrimental to society. Throughout human existence it has sparked tension between groups of people and ultimately influenced wars and even caused slavery. Racism in America dates back to when Native Americans were often attacked, relocated, and assimilated into European culture. Since then, racism within the states has grown to include various other cultures as well. In the essays by Brent Staples, Bharati Mukherjee, and Manuel Munoz, they discuss the various causes as well as the effects that racial stereotyping can place on a victim and the stigma it leaves behind for the society to witness.

The United States has always had an “open door” policy to all travelers coming into U.S. ports. Passengers still had to submit to passport policies and restrictions. Before 2009, there was no real threat to the American citizens. I can remember walking up to the gate to greet my loved one or have them send me off , watching the plane leave the gate , down the runway and off into the air. Times have changed since the tragic day of September 11, 2009. That day changed everything. Before that day, I knew of racial profiling for African Americans, in society. I am not a racial person. The south has a stigma of racial profiling with the African American’s and the history behind it.