Racial Profiling Characteristics

Racial profiling impacts the lives of African Americans, Asians, Latinos, South Asians, and the Arab communities (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 12). Profiling based on race stems from racism, and has lastingly marked and structured the society of the United States (10). In some aspects, it is considered a violation of human rights; therefore, acts then started to develop (12). For example, the United States introduced the Subsequent End of Racial Profiling Acts to Congress in 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2009, but they

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.

So before I can answer this million dollar question I need to establish what racial profiling is. According to the American Civil Liberties Union it is “when law enforcement and private security target people 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.” In plain English this means a person is perceived to have committed a crime only because of their race.

Racial profiling can be defined, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, as the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials [or security personnel] of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual 's race, ethnicity, religion or national origin. Although this act is not directly illegal, it violates core principles of our democracy: two of them being, the Fourteenth Amendment, which outlines the citizenship of African Americans along with equal protection of the laws, including the right to life, liberty and property, and due process, and the Fourth Amendment, which provides citizens their right against unreasonable searches and seizures. Racial profiling affects a wide range of minority groups. Reports on alcu.org state, “More than 240 years of slavery and 90 years of legalized racial segregation have led to systemic profiling of blacks in traffic and pedestrian stops” (Racial Profiling). Members of South Asian, Arab, and Muslim communities have also been categorized in regards to travel and terroristic activities by federal law enforcement and airline security due to the events on September 11, 2001. Latino communities have too been profiled and alienated due to the

Although racial profiling often times affects blacks more than any other race on a day to day basis, many other races and ethnic groups are faced with racial profiling in more sever situations such as terrorism. Since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001, Arabs and Muslims have been racially profiled

Racial profiling remains a dormant issue in the United States. It is the act of the authority, mostly, police officers linking minority status to criminal behaviour (Glover, 2007). Several police officers in the United States target specific groups because they don’t display characteristics of typical Caucasian individuals (Glover, 2007). To put history into context, before 9/11, not many police officers profiled individuals based on their ethnic backgrounds but after the attack, there was an increase in racial profiling (Harris, 2006). A racial profiling method that became prevalent in the 1980s in the United States was administered by the U.S Drug Enforcement Administration. Operation Pipeline was a program that they launched to help police officers catch drug traffickers (Harris, 2006). In a video, they taught police officers to look for clues that would help them recognize criminals. It was noticed that police officers made a majority of stops to people with Hispanic last names (Harris, 2006). Marshall Frank, a former police officer was asked what police officers should do if they saw an African man driving around a white community. Frank responded by stating that the police officers should stop the vehicle and investigate the reason to why he was there even if there was no occurrence of a crime (Harris, 2006).

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

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.

For example, Muslim people are being targeted cultural profiling because there is a group terrorist group called ISSAS. More than 80% of the members in ISIS are Muslim. Whenever someone sees a Muslim person walking down the street, they will think that person is part of ISIS just because that person is Muslim. According to “RACIAL PROFILING” by ACLU Racial profiling as gone up since September 11 2001 (9/11) due to the terrorist attacks on the twin tower. “Members of Muslim, Arab, and South Asian communities have been profiled by airline personnel, federal law enforcement, and local police.” In addition, racial profiling is casting entire communities as suspect simply from what they look like, where they come from, or what religion they adhere to. It's not just one culture and one group it's affecting many communities of colors. Overall, racial profiling is causing people all over our community to live in fear.

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

What is racial profiling? The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) 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” (2005). Do not confuse racial profiling with criminal profiling; criminal profiling is usually practiced by police in which they use a group of characteristics that are associated with crime to target individuals (ACLU, 2005). Examples of racial profiling include using ones race to target specific drivers for traffic violations and pedestrians for illegal contraband; another prime example is the targeting of Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians since 9/11 in

The United States is a media driven society and controversial topics are enhanced because of the resources available in the American civilization facilitating communication and awareness. Racial profiling is a complex topic that mostly affects minorities, however, everyone is affected by this issue in today’s society. After the attack on the World Trade Center, racial profiling has been used to presumably stop or prevent terrorism. It has come to light that this approach has had a diminutive progress, no terrorist has been caught through this technique. To this day some Americans are still distrustful of Muslim and Middle Eastern individuals. Some argue that racial profiling has the potential to catch terrorists, but social profiling can sometimes justify terrorist acts and its discrimination. The recent eradication of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) has affected thousands of recipients in a comparable way, but it has taken a toll on their social life. The DACA program was launched as an attempt to provide a means by which persons who do not have a legal status, but were brought to the Unite States as minors, could apply for legal permanent status, leading to neutralization (“A Brief History”). Although it is very common for our community to think of racial profiling as an absent or past issue, the obstacle is still present and is currently being contemplated to analyze its effect on the American society along with discrimination.

The main point of the article “Feds release profiling restriction” (Johnson, 2014) is to announce restrictions placed on some federal agencies in regards to racial profiling. Apuzzo in 2014 noted in the New York Times that the Bush administration in 2003 banned profiling by federal agencies in most situations. The exceptions noted from the profiling ban were race, but not religion, national origin, etc.; and, cases regarding national security were excused from the racial profiling ban (Apuzzo, 2014). In the article, Feds release profiling restrictions, it was noted that under President Obama’s watch, restrictions were expanded on the policy against racial profiling at the federal government level (Johnson 2014). It was noted that the federal restrictions on racial profiling does not affect all government agencies. Some agencies, Border Patrol, Immigrations, agencies under the Department of Homeland Security, etc. are excluded from the profiling ban solely because of their mission to protect transportation and the borders of the United States from terroristic acts (Johnson, 2014). Johnson further explained that the expansion in racial profiling includes not only race but gender and/or gender identity, religion, nationality, etc. (Johnson, 2014).

Racial profiling is an epidemic. It has negatively impacted communities for generations. THe use of race by American police in their policing activities has received much attention across the world. Social media have exploded the daily news people consume and trends are now visible to those that previously didn’t notice it. Countless studies were released on that epidemic and yet, in 2016, nothing seems to have changed. There are those who will support the idea, but quite often, it’s because it doesn’t affect them. While it’s true that African Americans have a particular past with racial profiling in America, it’s has always been much broader experience. Anyone with Arabic look or with Muslim affiliation would be constantly set aside for extra searching and questioning at airports. As a journalist so well explained “People like

Hey, based on your story that I just read, my questions to you is was the police officer White or Black female? what was your speed limit? were you going below the speed limit because that can draw attending? and was the music inside your car very laud? However, the police Officer was doing her job, based on reasonable suspicion. This law gave police Officers the right to stop and detain a person based on reasonable suspicion, and may even frisk the outside of their clothing for weapons, but not drugs. In your situation, what happened to you might not even be a racial profiling, and  definitely not discrimination. Let me expand on the reason why I believe it was just a racial profiling, most law-enforcement officers uses personal characteristics