Causes Of Racial Profiling

Racial profiling is still an ongoing issue that occurs and such an issue has led to many problems for the minority groups of this country. Whether it be African Americans, Indians, Asians, Mexicans, or Muslims, all have faced profiling at some point in time. The problems caused by this controversial subject include the impending distrust between black communities and law enforcement, unfair treatment towards all minorities by law enforcement, verbal and physical abuse of minorities by police officers which can sometimes lead to death, emotional unstableness of the victims whom have faced such a terrible judgement, and the negative impact it has on children of the minority groups.

Racial profiling has been and will continue to be a problem in the United States. Many believe that racial profiling is more prevalent in today’s society; however, this issue has been a part of our society since slavery. Moreover, African American males are mostly the targets of racial profiling, especially in larger cities like New York City and Los Angeles. Racial profiling is becoming a huge problem within the police departments. Police officers are conducting more traffic stops on African Americans males than on any other racial group, for the reason that many police officers believe African Americans males are most likely to be engaged in some sort of criminal activity. Thus, racial

Racial Profiling, it’s been the buzzword of the decade, its being talked about every time the news is on, it’s thrown around high-schools more often than test answers, it’s what George Zimmerman was accused of doing to Trayvon Martin, and it’s what Darren Wilson was accused of doing to Michael Brown. Everyone seems to have an opinion on Racial Profiling these days, some arguing that its morally right or wrong, others that its statistically supported or disproved, and many people argue over both. In a room of fifty people if you ask what they think about it you’ll get fifty different answers. After the recent incidents in New York and Ferguson that have made Racial Profiling the new poster child of every single media outlet, and after hearing so much about it I decided it was time for me to figure out what exactly Racial Profiling is and come up with my own answer to the million dollar question; should Racial Profiling be allowed as a tool of the police in their investigations?

One major problem with the Justice System is that law enforcement use racial profiling affecting many people of color on a daily basis. Racial profiling is when law enforcement believe that certain groups are more likely to commit a crime rather than other groups. This is a major problem because in many cases there are very tragic incidents and as NAACP stated, “ Mr. Garner’s tragic death shows that for communities of color, including women and LGBT people of color, immigrants and low income communities, racial profiling has been and continues to be a constant reality of life, often with tragic and deadly consequences,” (45) Explains how racial profiling has become an everyday basis to minorities affecting them in many ways and unfortunately ends with death occasionally. Racial profiling is a huge dilemma

Second, police in our country do racial profiling. This practice of law enforcement is morally wrong and personally sickening. Racial Profiling is the idea that just because someone is a different race automatically makes that one person a suspect. Racial Profiling goes against everything that the United States Constitution is about. The constitution is about freedom, equality, and the pursuit of happiness. Our law enforcement is put into place to serve and protect the innocent. The constitution protects us of unlawful search and seizers as well. Racial profiling makes our law enforcement give in their minds probable cause when there really is not any in the first place. Also, it goes against the United States Constitution. The American Civil Liberties Union and American Civil Liberites Union Foundation said, “Racial profiling is a longstanding and deeply troubling national problem despite claims that the United States has entered a “post-racial era.” It occurs every day, in cities and towns across the country, when law enforcement and private security target people of color for humiliating and often frightening detentions, interrogations, and searches without evidence of criminal activity and based on perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion. Racial profiling is

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.

In today’s world we deal with multiple cases of racial profiling seemingly on a daily basis. Turn on the television, check the internet, or simply have a discussion with someone and you’ll hear about it. "Racial Profiling" describes discriminatory practices by law enforcement officials who target people for suspicion of crime based on their ethnicity, race, origin, or religion. The term first came about during the War on Drugs in the 1970’s and 1980’s when law enforcement were accused of pulling over motorists simply because of their race, then unlawfully searching their vehicles for illegal substances. There are varying opinions about this topic and as the year’s progress, it seems acts of racism, labeling, and profiling increase. Many of the instances of racial profiling that occur today involve criminal justice.

Even the United States struggles with issues of racial discrimination despite being a society highly based on immigrants and multicultural diversity. On one hand, people frown on treatment based on race, whether that is on an individual or group level. On the other, people are tired and annoyed by the seemingly constant call of discrimination. All of these feelings culminate into the debate pertaining to the use of racial profiling. Likewise, there are some individuals that hold a certain level of acceptance in regard to racial profiling. However, what is lost in the process because of that acceptance? There are many components that need to be thought about in reference to the use of racial profiling. In addition, it can be viewed

In America’s judicial system, the color of skin or race are often equated with criminal behavior. Dr. King once said “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” As United States citizens, we are not convicted of a crime until proven guilty. However, racial profiling aids law enforcement on deciding when to pursue or detain a suspect based on race. This method undoubtedly categorizes that certain races are more prone to commit crimes. Nevertheless, racial profiling is a violation of constitutional rights thus protected by federal law; oddly it is often disregarded by states.

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.

Racial profiling has become a severe obstacle in the U.S. today though most Americans know very little of this vital issue. Every day, people are being pulled over, harassed, and even killed for being of a certain race. There are new laws that politicians are trying to pass that promote racial discrimination. Racial profiling is immoral and does not increase public safety.

An accurate definition of racial profiling must include discriminatory omissions on the part of the law enforcement as well as racially discriminatory acts. The failure of the enforcement to act on the behalf of a minority is unconstitutional but has been happening even farther back than the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s.The lynchings of African Americans that occurred during this time are a horrific example.Many “southern sheriffs sat idly by while racist organization, such as the Ku Klux Klan, terrorized African Americans. At times, the sheriffs would even release black suspects to the lynch mobs.” 1 A more recent example of this discriminatory omissions is seen with an African American man in Maryland. This man moved into a predominantly white community and faced harassment and property damage. The local police failed to respond to his complaints and eventually arrested him for shooting a gun into the air. His reason for

Supporters of racial profiling could argue that using this technique benefits police to target criminals as well as making more arrest (Thomsen, 2011, p. 99). According to Reddick (2004) there is evidence that supports that if the United States allowed the Federal Bureau of Investigation to use profiling on the twentieth hijacker then the events that occurred on September 11 could have been avoided (p. 155). However, many critics state that law enforcements are infringing on the constitutional rights and civil liberties of ethnic minorities within the United States (Ward, 2002, p. 726). The United States government has the duty to protect the citizens as well as to protect the ideals and ethical standards, in which, the United States were built on. Some people may argue that racial profiling is an important factor to national security and can be justifiable in court cases. In New York Times v. United States (1971), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that national security cannot be placed above the First Amendment, which protects the freedom of the press (Fauchon, 2004, p. 158). Fauchon (2004) states the racial profiling has never worked in the U.S. and will never work in the future. Racial profiling affects a person’s emotions and can fuel more cruel crimes to happen (p. 159). Fauchon (2004) argues that targeting behavior rather than the appearance of a person is much more successful (p. 157). It is important to remember that it is not racial profiling if a law

In today’s current events the names Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown have become very familiar, unfortunately in a rather negative way. Both men happened to be African-Americans who were shot and killed by policemen identified as being Caucasian men which raised the concern whether if both cases were examples of racial profiling. Racial profiling is the use of an individual’s race or ethnicity as a main factor in deciding whether to engage in enforcement. Simply put it is the use of racial stereotypes and the act of discrimination upon a victim in a demeaning manner. For example: stricter security clearances for Muslims at airports due to the 9/11 terrorist attack or banning Aboriginals from a bar because they will become rowdy when drunk. With all the advancements in today’s society – economically, technologically and socially etc. one would think that racial profiling and racism in general would be a thing of the past but yet t is the headline of many newspapers. Racial profiling is not only a social injustice but a prejudice against potential victims that must be removed from today’s society and can be achieved so through self-reflection, acting virtuously and taking initiative.

The United States has lived through generations of racism and racial profiling. Racism is the belief that different races have distinctive cultural characteristics determined by hereditary factors, and that this grants same races with a significant superiority over others. After the days of the Black civil rights movement with MLK Jr., and the years of protesting to have equality in our country. The American people were left with a false notion that they had passed the days of being discriminated on based on their skin colors and they were able to walk down the street, enter a building, and get an equal opportunity as anyone else. Whether people think that we live in a racist free society, minorities today are chained to the thoughts of