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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...
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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
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Our criminal justice book defines racial profiling as "any police initiated action that relies on the race, ethnicity, or national origin rather than the behavior of an individual, or on information that leads the police to a particular individual who has been identified as being, or having been, engaged in criminal activity” (Schmalleger 757). I think it is best summed up as the practice of using race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion as the primary factor in deciding who to subject to law enforcement investigations. Racial profiling can be used as a basis for racist police officers to arrest more minorities and this is documented very often. In the article Jim Crow policing, Bob Herbert talks about the unnecessary frisking and racism connected to searching for potential criminals. Herbert makes several points as to why police are harassing the black and Latino population and how it is wrong.
First of all, racial profiling is unfair to its victims . Racial profiling is seen through the police in “Hounding the Innocent”, which is unfair since a person shouldn’t be pulled over more because of their race and that many of these stops have little to no connection to an actual crime. “Young black and Hispanic males are being stopped, frisked, and harassed in breathtaking numbers” (Herbert, 29) This is unfair to all victims of racial
Toby, Jackson. “Racial Profiling Doesn’t Prove Cops are Racist.” Wall Street Journal (March 1999). N. pag. Online. AT&T Worldnet. Internet. 30 Nov 2000. Available: www.frontpagemag.com/archives/racerelations/toby3-11-99.htm
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.
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,
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 Exists, but What Does It Mean?. " Las Vegas Review-Journal (Las Vegas, NV). Jan. 14 2001: 34A+.
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.
Racial tension has been a part of America ever since the Civil War. Today we have a different issue with race, which is called racial profiling. Over the years, the relationship between the police and community of color has gone bitterly racial profiling. America’s society today tends to be tainted by racial profiling and stereotypes. These issues can have great effects on our society.
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.
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
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
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
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