Essay on An Argument Against Racial Profiling

There have been many attempts to make racial profiling illegal, but all have failed. Racial profiling is defined as suspecting an individual of a wrongdoing based solely on the individual’s race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin (Racial Profliling: Definition 2). Racism spreads throughout all dimensions of life in American society; therefore, the history of racial profiling is extensive, but it was at an all-time high after the September 11th attacks (Persistence of racial and ethnic profiling in the United States: a follow-up report to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 10). It can be used in both positive and negative aspects, but is mostly used negatively. Racial profiling negatively effects society and the very existence of racial profiling is erroneous, discriminatory, and unjustifiable.

Every individual in the world is different in some way from the person standing next to them. People differ in their culture, ethnicity, race, religion, personality, styles, interest, appearance and more. It is understood that someone may be similar to you not one person will be exactly like you. Growing up it is important for one to understand the differences of other people and show a level of respect for them. As human-beings, people typically learn through experiences. However, these experiences have the tendency to alter the way people perceive other individuals. Racial profiling, a term used more frequently when dealing with law enforcement, is defined as “any action undertaken for reasons of safety, security or public protection

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

A problem we are currently facing and have been facing for quite a while is racial profiling. An individual should not be stopped on the highway or sidewalk because of their race. People should not have to live their lives in fear of being killed because of suspicion due to the color of their skin, or the stereotype they have. The individual should know their rights, and be educated on what they can and can’t do when being approached by police so that things don’t end in violence. From the point of view of the state trooper, a motorist who is stopped and searched is a potential catch, a shot at a big, career building drug bust. But most of those who are searched are totally innocent, and from their viewpoint the process looks and feels very different. You are stopped for a minor or nonexistent traffic violation; the officer scrutinizes your car carefully through the window and then tells you to step outside; he asks you pointed questions about your trip, your plans, your companions, your friends, and perhaps expresses doubts about the honesty of your answers; he asks for permission to search the car; if you agree, he rummages through your vehicle and belongings; if you refuse, he calls for backup and a police dog to sniff your car for drugs.

You are more likely to be stopped, searched, arrested, or imprisoned if you are a minority. Discriminatory police stops have reached great extent in recent years.

One of the most frequent cases of racial profiling would have to take place in our nation’s airports. The airport security teams have a tendency of targeting those whose ethnic background is not of Caucasian descent. In recent years, you cannot even take a trip with your family without running the risk of having an obtrusive body scan or being patted down by a complete stranger if they are wary of your nationality. All while Little Johnny and Suzy Smith are welcome to continue on with their trip

Racial profiling is usually seen as a way to increase safety. However, this is not always the case; in most cases it promotes negative thoughts about the race being targeted. As mentioned by Deborah Hellman, one

Elephants are gray, but not all gray things are elephants. Racial profiling would say that all Muslims are Al-Qaeda, because Al-Qaeda members are Muslim. This is a clear example of stereotyping. When assumptions are based upon stereotypes they run a large risk of being entirely wrong, and racial profiling relies on stereotypes.

There are many types of racism in America that cause people to make accusations against law enforcement for discrimination. One type of racism is racial profiling. It is a strategy that encourages police officers to stop and question minorities only because of their race. Racial profiling is a serious issue of social importance in the United States. George Will opens by casting doubt with his tone on the idea that racial profiling is a serious issue in America. His tone is sarcastic and critical of how politicians and news people are talking about the issue, and The focus of the article is to use Heather Mac Donald as the primary evidence for Will's view that racial profiling is not necessarily bad. I believe there is racism still happening to black people and Muslim people. Racial profiling is an unfavorable thing, and it can be a huge problem lead to a scuffle and law enforcement should work to stop racism forever in the whole world.

In “Introduction: From Racial Profiling to Racial Literacy,” Lani Guinier states that racism is everywhere and it still exists in our society. It also comes in the form of racial profiling. According to Guinier, racial profiling is the suspect’s race based on his color, power and socioeconomic class. She provides some examples and arguments about how racial profiling is widespread and is bad law enforcement. One example of the “they say” statement is when Guinier provides an example of Nii-Odoi Glover, an event marketer in Los Angeles, about how many times Glover has been stopped by the cops throughout his life.

Individuals all around the world are faced with being racially profiled. For example the individuals that are racially profiled are usually people nonwhites. They are racially profiled because of how one person with their race has made a negative connotation with their ethnicity. The police are the ones, who usually are racially profiling others because of how a person may look “suspicious”. Although, racial profiling allows some sense of security, the people that are harmed are traumatized; therefore racial profiling needs to be stopped.

Racial Profiling is unconstitutional and illegal, yet it’s still used in law enforcement. The practice of racial profiling, as defined by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), 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 2005). Racial profiling causes more harm than good, it can cause emotional, mental and more often physical harm to the person being subjected to the practice. According to the Fourth and Fourteenth amendments, racial profiling is unconstitutional. It causes distrust in law enforcement because ethnic

A major issue that has been at the forefront of the topic of race in America is racial profiling. This practice of targeting individuals based on the individual’s race is not new and has been in use for many many years. However it has recently come to national attention with the killing of unarmed black teenagers by police officers. The issue of racial profiling not only highlights the lack of equality in America but the issue of policemen using excessive force when dealing with criminal activity.

Profiling is “the act or process of extrapolation information about a person based on known traits or tendencies”, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The practice of racial profiling is coming up with these “known traits or tendencies” and using them when interacting with people of a particular race, without considering the individual. The issue with these generalizations are that they become engrained in society and have subsequent consequences on those they are imposed upon. In the case of black men in America, the repercussions of this idea are seen in most facets of life. Predominately, the wage gap between white men and black men is an ongoing issue that is linked to preconceptions. Additionally, the achievement gap in the classroom has seen disparities that have prevented black men from having the necessary foundation to be successful. Ultimately, racial profiling has most notably been exposed by the actions of law enforcement and the criminalization of black men. In Dominique Morisseau’s “Night Vision”, the character Ayana reveals how racial profiling black men has integrated itself into the subconscious, which has surfaced in negative impacts on economic, education, and legal outcomes in America.

Read the article: "Racial Profiling: A Survey of African American Police Officers"(Barlow & Barlow, 2002). Using concepts from chapters 1-6 as the basis for your analysis, in a narrative format of 750 or more words, summarize: 
(a) the research problem, 
(b) the literature review, 
(c) data-gathering strategy, 
(d) any hypotheses, 
(e) the dependent and independent variable in one of the cause-effect relationships tested by the researchers, 
(f) how the dependent and independent variable were operationalized, 
(g) other variables that should have been measured and/or controlled, and 
(h) the key findings and/or policy issues.