The Pros And Cons Of Racial Profiling

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

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.

One of the many controversial topics is racial profiling. For centuries, America has looked down and discriminated minorities and it still continues today. It began when minorities started to immigrate to America in search of better lives. Most whites believed in white supremacy and thought minorities were aliens. The police use racial profiling mostly towards minority groups. Racial profiling is the use of race or a skin color to suspect someone of doing an offense. While some people think that racial profiling is beneficial because it lowers crime rates, racial profiling creates false accusations against minorities; therefore we should limit the use of racial profiling.

Recently, there has been an epidemic in which minorities are being racially profiled on a daily basis. Individuals are being arrested, pulled over, and gunned down, simply because of the color of their skin. People cannot even walk down the street without someone thinking that they look suspicious. Whether the person is African American, Hispanic, Indian, or Muslim, racial profiling is wrong. With all of the recent controversy surrounding the problem, one would think that it would occur much less but that is not the case. Racial profiling has caused a recent uproar in America, and it has become the reason why many people have turned their backs on law enforcement for good.

An indication that disproves the claim that racial profiling is an essential policing tactic centers on the idea that it violates the constitutional rights of an individual. In “Rights and Wrongs,” Jeffrey Toobin demonstrates that racial profiling violates the constitutional rights of an individual, in that unarmed individuals and those of color are racially profiled for the way they look for no apparent reason. This article discusses the idea of whether or not racial profiling is or is not a constitutional tactic for law enforcement. It is unclear as to why law enforcement chooses to target those who look suspicious without knowing their purpose. Those of color are being unfairly treated and accused of crimes for no apparent reason. Toobin states, “An officer got out of an unmarked van and came up to me,” Bradley recalled. “I just accommodated the officer to the best of my ability, and, in turn, what happened was, he went into my pockets… There was nothing in my pockets except my house keys, my cell phone, my wallet. The thing about it that was so appalling was that I had spent my last dollar to see my loved one. And then he said, ‘Fuck that, you’re going in” (Toobin 30). This quote is a perfect representation of racial profiling, where an officer decides to target individuals based on his appearance, which is unconstitutional. When Scheindlin stated, “I just accommodated the officer to the best of my ability, and, in turn, what happened was, he went into my pockets,” it was to my understanding that law enforcement has violated the rights of an individual in the sense of which officers do not have the rights to go through personal belonging without a valid reason. Even if he “accommodated the officer” with the best of his ability, he was violated for his rights for not doing anything illegal. Since he was still being searched for looking “suspicious” it is clear that the officer had racially profiled an individual under no circumstances of a prosecution. This proves that the even if an individual is complying with the laws, police officers will go out of their to find reasons to target people and violate their constitutional rights. In addition to this topic, the idea of violating the constitutional rights

Racial profiling exceeds the legal limits, Latino communities are afraid of going out because they have a higher risk of being arrested, based in the way they look. Ranjana Natarajan a clinical professor and director of the Civil Rights Clinic at The University of Texas School of Law, writes the article, “ Racial Profiling Has Destroyed Public Trust in Police. Cops Are Exploiting Our Weak Law Against It” where she explains how police brutality is against the law but is still happening. Natarajan mentions, “Whatever else we have learned from the recent tragedies of police violence, it is clear that we need comprehensive federal, state and local policies that outlaw racial profiling and rein in police excessive force”. This shows how police

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.).

A stronger policy against racial profiling at all level including law enforcement needs to be enforce.

Racial profiling is a discriminatory practice where individuals are being targeted by law enforcement based on their race or ethnic background instead of crime suspicion. Racial profiling dates back to the 1700s -- the slavery era. African Americans who were free had to prove it with documents and papers called “freedom papers”; whether they were free did not matter, as they were continually subject to racial profiling. Specifically, in South Carolina, there were slave patrols who hunted for slaves and labeled them as being “runaways” simply because of their skin color -- these groups tortured and abused any slaves who attempted to escape. The extreme levels of racial profiling has changed over the years, but it is still significantly apparent in today’s society. African Americans are being pulled over and stopped since the color of their skin is yet being associated with criminality and wrongdoing. African Americans aren’t the only victims of racial profiling; Muslims are being labeled as terrorists and Latinos as illegal immigrants. Although some may argue that racial profiling helps law enforcement by narrowing their search for criminals on a particular group, it should not be accepted as a law enforcement practice because it is a violation of both the 4th amendment and the equal protection clause under the 14th amendment, making it completely illegal.

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.

Racially biased assumption of people in poor neighborhoods who may have brothers, sisters, relatives, our wealthy friends who visit them in their less affluent community, then find themselves stopped by police and accused of dealing drugs or committing theft to obtain expensive items they have legally purchased. Unfair racial profiling, by police officers, that Police departments condone and feel are necessary to identify criminals and criminal activity before it occurs and causes harm to others. Assumptions that have for “Three hundred years” from Slave Patrols, Black Codes, Jim Crow, Convict Leasing and Racial Profiling that violate a persons’ “14th Amendment rights of “equal protection under the law.” As the 14th Amendment was ratified

If we like it or not we all racially profile everyday without even thinking about it. We based our judgement of one's skin color to the type of unlawful or opulence the person has enacted. We make this judgement with the conclusion of the stereotypical news feed we receive from the media. “Today people of color continue to be disproportionately incarcerated, policed, and sentenced to death at significantly higher rates than their white counterparts.” (Sophia Kerby, 2012). Today people of color start unlawful acts more than the caucasian race itself, setting up cliches ideas for their people to be pronounced by. They ruin their own ethnic groups rights and create a wider spread of segregation amongst races in trepidation of

Racial profiling has and always will be a large part the American society. Although before we can discuss its effects on society and how society then affects me we should know what it is. Racial profiling is the use of an individual’s race or ethnicity by law enforcement personnel as a key factor in deciding whether to engage in enforcement (e.g. stop and search or arrest). In other word it is justifiable racism. I say this because in order to use a person’s skin color to determine whether they have committed a crime or not you must be comparing it to another skin tone. Then you get into the habit of thinking of the ‘bad races’ and the ‘good races’. I call it a habit because it was first an idea to help speed of the judicial process. It became a habit after they realized it was doing more harm than good but refused to change it. This however is not the only profiling, it is simply the one in the news right now. There is behavior and appearance profiling. We watch a person walk a certain way and assume the worst. We see a boy dressed in way we would never dress our son and declare war on them.These habit can lead to many lives ruined and stolen.

Actions taken for reasons of safety, that depends on race, religion, or colour to single out an individual rather than behavioural observations is considered racial profiling. Racial profiling can be found all around the world with many different ethnicities, in present day and throughout history African Americans are the main target in North America. The history of slavery started the idea of racial profiling, because of slavery people with dark skin tones have been undermined and oppressed by those with light skin tones, who are considered to be superior. Though slavery no longer exists in North America, African Americans are not treated as equals and surrounded by stereotypes therefore are usually the ones who are the first to blame for crimes and found reported in the media. This has created some backlash within the black community causing police to fight back.Throughout history and in present day African Americans are charged for petty crimes that white people are twice as more likely to commit. Stereotypes have continued to build over the years leading the law enforcers to turn against certain descriptions and use violence. This has created a fear factor in society rather than a safety factor surrounding the police forces. African Americans are surrounded by a negative stereotype that leads to racial profiling being presented in the media. This is causing the police to be more aware of a persons skin colour rather than behaviours when looking for crime. Racial profiling is not getting any better and has a economic, political, and societal impact in history and our present lives.

In the eyes of some police officers, racial profiling practices are seen as constructed by the media. They claim that others factors such as youth delinquency, poverty, and living in high crime areas, are reasons why certain people are stopped by police (Wortley & Bempah, 2011:398). Proponents of racial profiling argue that it makes communities safer and allows police to be proactive in their duties by pinpointing the ‘criminal population’. However, this practice enables police to use malicious force by advancing their own interests and not fulfilling their duties (Bittner, 1970:37). Thus, this abuse of power leads to differential treatment as a blatant power difference balance manifests itself between police and minority groups (Kirkup, 2009:114).