The Pros And Cons Of Racial Profiling

According to the 11 Facts about Racial Discrimination, “The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics concluded that an African American male born in 2001 has a 32% chance of going to jail in his lifetime, while a Latino male has a 17% chance, and a white male only has a 6% chance” (11 Facts about Racial Discrimination 1). Racial profiling, or discriminating against a whole group of people based on their race, is an unjust act and a big problem in our society today. Arresting people because of how they look like, or what they believe in is absurd. According to ACLU, “Racial Profiling 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 1). Although law enforcement assumes they are doing their job, they need to remain objective and fair in all situations, because they are violating rights, lacking protection and risking lives.

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

Racial Profiling is an act of automatically defining or identifying someone based on their ethnicity. This act was most recognized during the late 1800’s in the U.S. under the Jim Crow law. It was passed in order to segregate whites and the colored in America. It fundamentally made whites superior to all. Though, in 1964 the Civil Rights Act passed stating that anybody of any ethnicity or religion are to be equal and united. However, today this law has never been truly accepted when seeing the statistics of the type of people being stopped by the police. In fact, based on the statistics of the people stopped, there is an ethnic disproportion which shows that the police use racial profiling. Even though innocent people are stopped, the

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.

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

Racial Profiling compromises the very fabric that America is built on. With Constitutional laws that protect us as American citizens from any mistreatment or discrimination, Racial Profiling is still being practiced , and it violates our human rights, and causes distrust in the very police officers that are in charge of keeping our communities safe, and disbelief in the Constitution that should afford all American citizens equal rights.

“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.

Racial Profiling is the use of race or ethnicity as grounds for suspect someone of having committed an offense. Racial profiling against Hispanics, when I mean Hispanics are people from North American, South American and Central Americans. An example of racial profiling against Hispanics is by; the color of our skin, which the majority skin toned (Color) is brown but not all of them, some may be different color and are Hispanics. Sadly, our identity is defined by the color of our skin and are targeted and threatened with deportation and thinking that we are all illegal immigrants and discriminating with hurtful words that express that we do not belong here in the United States, even though some were born in the United States and supposedly that we are taking everyone’s job, but it is usually people who think that and that say that, are the people who can get a job but do not want to or cannot get a job, so they just blame the Hispanics. We are the easy targeted race and stereotype about us, by only referring Hispanics as illegal immigrant which is not because there are other migrant who crossed the United States and are here illegally and Society does not refer them as illegal immigrants. Also it leads to being arrested unfairly for no reason, just because he or she was Hispanic. In Arizona which already have accepted racial profiling against Hispanics that has made the law passed which is called “SB1070”. Then there are people who racial

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

Racial profiling has been a recurring issue for quite a while in the history of America and it appears as if it will proceed the same. Many individuals do not know what racial profiling stands for and sometimes victims of racial profiling aren’t even aware of the meaning. Racial profiling is often identified as the use of race by any law pursuing organization to any extent, as a reason for unlawful conjecture in non-specific inspections. Every person is entitled to basic human freedoms and rights, which are undermined when discrimination based on religion, nationality, ethnicity, race, or other particular status occurs. It is unlawful to discriminate against citizens regardless of their race according to the United States Constitution, Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Racial profiling is the use of race or ethnicity as grounds for suspecting someone of having committed an offense. Racial profiling against Hispanics includes people from North American, South American and Central Americans. Examples of racial profiling against Hispanics are being identified by the color of their skin, which the majority of skin tone is brown but not all some may be a different color and are Hispanics. Sadly, Hispanic identity is only defined by the color of skin and are targeted and threatened with deportation and thinking that everyone are all illegal immigrants and discriminating with hurtful words that express that they do not belong here in the United States, even though some were born in the United States. Also supposedly that Hispanics are taking everyone’s job, but it is usually people who think that and that say that, are the people who can get a job but do not want to or cannot get a job, so they just blame the Hispanics. Hispanic are the easy targeted race and stereotype are made about them, by only referring Hispanics as illegal immigrant which is not because there is other immigrants who migrated to the United States and are here illegally and society does not refer them as illegal immigrants. Also it leads to being arrested unfairly for no reason, just because he or she was Hispanic. In Arizona which already has accepted racial profiling against Hispanics that has made the law passed which is called “SB1070.”

Robert Weisberg a Faculty Co-Director of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center and professor of law explain in his article “Sheriff Arpaio Pardoning: Racial Profiling Contempt Of Court And The Law” the actions that took him to court and later to be acquitted by Donald Trump. Weisberg claims, “He’d been detaining large numbers of people on the ostensible ground that there was reasonable suspicion that they were immigration law violators. But the evidence showed that his officers were actually detaining people simply because they supposedly looked Latino/a, without the real justification. Weisberg mentions, “ But the evidence showed that his officers were actually detaining people simply because they supposedly looked Latino/a, without the reasonable suspicion of crime needed to justify a seizure.” This statement reinforces the idea that the justice system need a reform as soon as possible, since Arpaio was able to do all these actions against Latinos without been stopped The importance here lies in the fact that Latinos will always be a target unlike white people that will never have to worry for been stopped in the freeway because the way they look, because police will never distrust

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

Racial profiling is when someone’s race is used by law enforcement to assume criminal suspicions (Spagnoli, Filip). Law enforcement has used racial profiling to “help” prevent criminal activity. For instance, a survey done by the department of justice when officers focused more on African-American and Latino drivers they found that less of them had drugs the when they least focused on white drivers (The Truth About Racial Profiling: FIVE FACTS). Some officers assume that Hispanics and African-Americans are carrying around illegal substances and weapons. This is not always true! As the survey revealed, most of the people who did have prohibited items were white Americans. Law enforcement should begin stopping drivers by suspicion not by their race. In another survey done by Ian Ayres and Jonathan Borowsky they had found very similar information. “We also found that, once people were stopped, officers were more likely to frisk, search, or arrest African-Americans and Latinos than whites…when these frisks and searches are substantially less likely to uncover weapons, drugs, or other types of contraband” (Borowsky, Ayres). Officers are spending more time on race than focusing on real criminals who are ousting the reasons why this country is remarkable. Other cases like these have been confirmed as well. “Relative to stopped whites, stopped blacks is 127% more likely and

According to Pollock (2017) there is a perceived belief among minority groups in the United States that states law enforcement is fundamentally racist. In the minority neighborhoods, the police are looked upon in distrust. Racial profiling is when officers make traffic stops or consensual encounters with persons based off their race. Racial profiling began to assist border patrol and custom agents profile drug smugglers. Evidence has indicated that racial profiling does not occur because officers are racist. Sheriff Joe Arpio from Maricopa County Arizona, has been fighting with the Department of Justice over his practices regarding the treatment od Hispanics in his jurisdiction. Larry Sherman talked about loyalty to coworkers, that mostly