The Negative Effects Of Racial Profiling And Its Impact On Society

In the Justice System there are a lot of flaws that affect many people of color, and from past history, it has shown how these practices can lead to very unfortunate events, one of these practices is racial profiling. Racial profiling is when law enforcement uses race and ethnicity as grounds to determine if someone, typically of color, is guilty of doing something illegal. Racial profiling is a major problem in this country, this as well affects many citizens that are mainly of color because law enforcement usually sees them as targets, and it is important to improve and fixed this issue because there are many tragic incidents that have been caused of racial profiling.

Have you ever been racially profiled while driving, shopping or while just walking in a particular neighborhood? Personally I have never been a victim of racial profiling, but I will be 16-years old this summer and able to drive to school, to a friends house or to shop at the mall. I realize that it is a possibility that I could be racially profiled at some point. There have been recent incidents that made racial profiling a very controversial issue. On February 26, 2012 in Sanford, Florida, Trayvon Martin, an unarmed, 17-year old African-American high school student walked through a gated community and was fatally shot after an altercation. Trayvon Martin’s parents strongly believed he was racially profiled, as stated in a news article

“In 2005, a study analyzing data accumulated statewide in Texas reveals disproportionate traffic ceases and searches of African Americans and Hispanics, even though law enforcement authorities were more liable to find contraband on Whites.” (The Reality of Racial Profiling) The utilization of personal characteristics or comportment patterns to make generalizations about a person is called racial profiling. Throughout time, the utilization of race by law enforcement agencies in their policing activities has received considerable attention across the nation. The 4th amendment right that one has as an American, which is protecting against unreasonable search and seizure, is becoming contravened; one reason for the way one looks. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that racial profiling violates the constitutional requirement that all persons be accorded equal protection of the law, but it is still occurring in our society. Racial Profiling has caused the violation of our rights whether it maybe from a terry stop that was originated for the case Terry vs. Ohio, stop and frisk, racial vehicle stops, and the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act also known as Arizona SB 1070.

There are tons of cases of Racial Profiling. Now a days many people are being targeted or attacked by racial profiling. Laws are being passed but not every police officer is following up with it. And because of this more and more people are becoming irritated with the government system. Just because a particular person from a particular race does something wrong, everyone from that race is being discriminated by so-called other races. Racial profiling is getting worst by the years go by, it is becoming a hot topic. Ever since the major attack of September 11, 2001 many people have seen Muslims as terrorists. Racial profiling doesn’t just affect Muslims; it affects African Americans and Hispanics. Due to the action of just one individual, and from that individual affects the whole race behind it. It just doesn’t make that person look bad it makes they’re race look as bad as they do. That is why African American, Hispanics, and Muslims are being targeted. Racial profiling negatively impacts society.

police because of the way they act and dress in public. American Civil Liberty Union

People in law enforcement use race, ethnicity, religion or nationality as a factor in determining if an individual has committed a crime, this is called racial profiling. Many in law enforcement believe that racial profiling is an efficient way of screening someone who is suspected of a crime. They fail to see the problems with profiling someone based on how they look or their backgrounds. Racial profiling is wrong in any circumstance because crime comes from all different types of people, it causes distrust between law enforcement and the people of that community, and it violates citizens constitutional rights.

Ever since the late 1970 's profiling was associated with a method of interdicting drug traffickers (Data Collection Resource Center, n.d., para 3). The profiling provided not only a quick way to see evidence of concealment in the vehicle, but included age and race characteristics of possible drivers (Data Collection Resource Center, n.d., para 3). The controversy is over whether or not there are a disproportionate number of blacks and Hispanics involved with law enforcement that reflects police racism or is it merely the outcome of disproportionate minority crime (MacDonald, 2003, pg. 9). MacDonald (2003, p. 9) reported the high rates of minority stops and arrests do not accurately reveal racism was the cause. In the past our society has labeled this problem as being prejudice or a racist, but now there is a new term. "Minorities refer to it as DWB, driving while black. Politicians call it racial profiling." (Sweeney, n.d.).

Some say that racial profiling is a tactic that is very much needed to help officers with investigations. Racial profiling is actually unconstitutional because the fourth amendment prohibits unreasonable searches. The fourth amendment also sets out requirements for search warrants based on probable cause. The court case United States v. Brignoni-Ponce confronted the issue of race as being a factor to the suspicion of criminal activity. The officer that stopped the respondent's car said it was “ the apparent Mexican ancestry of the occupants.” This belief that the occupants were illegal immigrants did not satisfy the court and they ruled the case as violating the fourth amendment.

This event occurs every day in cities and cities throughout the country when law enforcement and private security allow colored individuals to be humiliated and often scared of arresting, interrogating and searching without evidence of criminal activity based on race, ethnicity, or religion of privatization Racism is considerably illegal, and violations of the main promise of the United States Constitution against the law of equal rights for all and freedom from inappropriate searches and seizures. I believe racial profiling should not be of one specific race and people, it should not be harmful to the innocent people. Racial profiling is the harmful issue for innocent people. And law enforcement should not use racial profiling.

Racial Profiling is a government activity directed at a suspect or a group of suspects based solely on race. Racial profiling has become a major problem in the United States. According to an article written by the Editorial Board of St. Louis Post-Dispatch . “In 2014, blacks were 75 percent more likely to be pulled over in the state of Missouri than whites.” The point of the article was to show that finding better ways to detect criminals would make the United States a better country over all. Also stated in the article “More Training and Police Consolidation Would Improve Racial Profiling stats.” But it is deeper than just more training and police consolidation.  As stated in an article in the New York Times written by Manny Fernandez, in Texas the lawmakers created a law known as Senate Bill 4 that prohibits cities and counties from adopting policies to limit immigration enforcement. Immigration enforcement is an American federal law enforcement agency, it is responsible for enforcing federal laws governing border control. Racial profiling is an ineffective and degrading practice because it violates civil rights, it’s unconstitutional and it’s a road block for future growth.

Post 9/11, racial profiling exhibited by law enforcement not only to my race but other minorities in America has been unacceptable and can be rectified by establishing better and more efficient security procedures in airports that are not tied to or based upon race. The significance of national security is of great importance as we, members of a civilized society, are in an age where our peace is being threatened. This most directly impacts all Americans, but, specifically, harms minority groups due to inherently racially profiling individuals based on appearance. As an American, I along with my peers, am aware of the threat of terrorism in today’s era. Being a minority in America allows for a unique and credible point of view on this topic. This proposal is directed at ignorant or misinformed Americans and unintentionally aimed at law enforcement and airport security; hoping in response Americans would become more open minded and airports become more secure.

Although racial profiling has many negative effects on society as a whole, many would argue that racial profiling is an important aspect of policing. According to Sunil Dutta who is an LAPD lieutenant he cites “We have to acknowledge that there is a place for race and ethnicity in police work.” Dutta goes on to explain that it is important to take ethnicity into account as it can aide in locating a possible suspect. Dutta further explains that officers are trained to use all the data available to them in apprehending criminals and in addition when officers follow leads and stop people, they do use profiling, but it is profiling based on all actionable intelligence, which includes race as one of many criteria. Dutta adds that policing is dangerous work and all factors have to be taken in to account (Dutta, 2010). Alexis Artwhol, a former police psychologist and consultant to the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association, agrees with Duttal. She argues that in a cop’s world it’s killed or be killed. Artwhol who co-wrote, Deadly world encounters: what a cop needs to know, suggests that a police officer’s duties are extremely dangerous and police officers have a great responsibility in protecting the public. Artwhol contends that 25 years ago an officer rarely drew his or her weapon. According to Artwhol, in recent times officers draw their weapons once per month or twice per week. She attributes this to street gangs and drug proliferation in low income, minority communities. Artwhol adds “the police go to where crimes happen more often.” Artwhol compares police work to defensive driving by adding, “We should go out there and expect something bad will happen and watch for it,” she said. “If we are not paying attention, we could die” (Artwhol, p.25). In other words, police officers are in a constant state of defensiveness because they are trained to believe that something bad will happen. Although, Artwhol does not directly discuss racial profiling, she contends that race is an important factor in the apprehending a suspect and needs to be considered.

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.

Benjamin Todd Jealous once said, “Racial profiling punishes innocent individuals for the past actions of those who look and sound like them. It misdirects crucial resources and undercuts the trust needed between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”(Jealous, 2015). I couldn’t agree more with him. In today’s society more and more Black men and women suffer from police bias. Police is a powerful organization that was meant to serve and protect. Enforce laws and keeping communities safe. The problem is we fail to acknowledge that police are humans with real life bias. The problem with police is how much racial profiling is going up,

The Amin brothers, Ahmad and Hassan, were normal young adults like you and I. They lived in Pakistan for only a short period of their lives and moved to the US at a young age. Their mother, Tahira Manzur had high hopes that they will become permanent, working, residents of the US. Unfortunately, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, or INS for short, had suspicions that the young men had correlations to a 9/11 terrorist attack. Hassan was arrested and stayed at Yuba county jail overnight until a 4,000$ bail freed him and his younger brother ,Ahamad, missed school every Wednesday and had to check in with the INS Offices. In the process, they were in the fight against being deported for 5 tiring years along with rigorous court dates all because of assumptions to terrorism. (Racial Profiling since 9/11). Part of their young lives was striped from them. Racial profiling can and has had a detrimental effect on many lives like the Amin brothers. What does the INS do? Their main job is to regulate immigrants who come into the country and if their transmission is legal. Racial profiling is used, mainly in law enforcement, to target people based off of stereotypes of their race, ethnicity, religion, or origin if they are suspected to be part of a criminal action. It has been around since the 1800’s but a recent event also revealed it was used as well when Japanese immigrants wanted to move to the US but were denied access because of distrust from the result of WWII. This