Issues, Data, And Analyses Of Racial Profiling - Essay Example

Issues, Data, And Analyses Of Racial Profiling The use of individual’s race or color as the basis of judgment in various circumstances is not acceptable. In racial profiling, the authority or law enforcers use a person’s race or color to suspect their involvement in wrong actions in the society. Law enforcers regard individuals with different races as most susceptible causes of crimes in society (MacDonald 100). Implicating people in activities they know nothing about is a modern form of discrimination which the society should not tolerate. This is because the whole idea of racial profiling is morally wrong, always leading to loss of self-esteem and regrets of membership in a community. Moreover, racial profiling prevents the police from serving the whole community in an effective way. Leaning on one side for racial reasons is detrimental to societal development, and the authority should not tolerate this behavior. Moreover, continued use of racial profiling could easily lead into racially-motivated violence (Moody 321). This happens when victims’ gang up to face offenders or the offenders collaborate to suppress victims in a particular way. This paper takes the stand that racial profiling is a morally incorrect idea not acceptable as a law enforcement practice. It describes various instances involving racial profiling and the reasons this idea is not acceptable as a law enforcement practice. Some highlighted reasons why racial profiling should not be legal law are; the whole idea is morally wrong, police officers would not perform their duties justly, community’s collaboration in cases of crimes reduces, and it may lead to more racial violence. The idea of racial profiling has many visible instances in the United States. Most African-Americans complain that police stops them regularly for check-ups than their white counterparts. The idea is that they are more of suspects of terrorism than Americans. This is a moral decay in the society which reduces people’s morale in involvement in various economic activities. Instances involving racial profiling in the city are numerous. One citizen reports that “airport officials pulled his friend aside, and question him before allowing him to take his flight because he is a Muslim-American” (Schmidt 23). This is a practice of racial profiling, and should not be a law by all means. Considering the situation in which officials harass ten or more people on the basis of such beliefs; the result is loss of trust in authority and law makers, which also retards societal growth. In some instances, African Americans complain that traffic police stops them regularly for unwarranted checks just because of their color. This is another practice of racial profiling, and making it law only leads to societal disintegration. Continued actions of this kind could also lead to segregation of some people, especially victims (Schmidt 23). The effects of racial profiling in the society are numerous, and allowing it to exist as a formal law only leads to violation of individual rights. This idea leads to wastage of a lot of time on innocent suspects. Detaining suspects based on race leads to arraigning of more suspects who are not eligible to be in jurisdiction. In a recent report by the traffic police department, searches on the roads prove that whites are more susceptible to drug deals and other sorts of crimes than blacks. The idea of racial profiling will, therefore, is a waste of time because the police waste a lot of time on innocent suspects. The effectiveness of searches depends on verifiability of suspects and no consideration of racial and color differences. For this reason, passing racial profiling as a law prevents full exploitation of resources available in the traffic police department as their efforts concentrate on innocent people. Moreover, racial profiling can increasingly result into racially motivated violence. This is because having it as a law would grant police officers an opportunity to use wrong evidences against people based on their color. The result is response on the part of victims who may gang up to protest against such actions. For instance, police officer’s attitude towards Latinos and African-Americans in the past has been wanting. In such cases, violation of rights would prompt other people allied to the victim to gang up against authority (Moody 321). The result is increased violence in the country which only leads to loss of more lives. The case involving Amidou Diallo is an ideal example of situation in which traffic police exercise their powers because they receive protection from the law. Diallo, unarmed immigrant, is shot forty one times while attempting to show his driving license to the police. For this reason, making racial profiling a state law leads to violation of basic human rights and loss of lives. It is, therefore, unnecessary to enact the idea as state law. Moreover, racial profiling is morally incorrect. The idea of passing racial profiling as state law leads to segregation of a portion of the population, especially by police officers and other people in authority. In this case, it impacts on their judgment even before analyzing circumstances surrounding a case. What qualifies this idea as morally incorrect is its impact on the victims. Receiving unfair treatment because of skin color and race leads to loss of self-esteem, which is also violation of human rights. Victims of such cases are likely to regret their existence in America which impact on economic development (Moody 321). In addition, passing racial profiling as state law would violate the fourteenth amendment because it leads to segregation and impartial exercise of protection rights (Thompson 65). The fourteenth amendment states that no state would deny an individual equal share of protection based on any form of differences. Racial profiling, however, does the exact opposite. In its place, people abuse power, and the police are more likely to handle Latinos and Black-Americans carelessly. Moreover a law which contradicts another is a threat to development in the country since all laws focus on providing all sort of protection to its citizens (Carmen 76). The effect racial profiling may have on the fourteenth amendment are numerous (Muffler 35), hence passing it as state law is not productive in any way. In addition, racial profiling reduces level of interaction between the community and authority. It is a belief that one sure way of curbing criminal activities is by getting the corporation of citizens. However, racial profiling leads to segregation and this may limit people from reporting criminal case. The result is escalated crimes in the country, and loss of moral values. The effects this aspect has on the community are enormous, and ultimately it is just loss of more lives. For this reason, passing racial profiling as state law, in the normal sense, is not an appropriate idea for societal development (Thompson 65). In addition, the quest for an accommodative and all round society is impossible with the idea of racial profiling. No one should judge the other on the basis of race or color, because such judgments only threaten peaceful coexistence in the society (Thompson 65). The case of Muslim Americans is a unique one which requires professionalism in handling. Interference with the Muslim community has dire consequences on the society and authority should avoid it. It is also a general belief that clash between religion and authority or political ideas have threatening consequences (Muffler 56). The action by most lawmakers against Muslim American is not pleasing and may provoke resistance which is not necessary for development in the society. Latinos also feel degraded in the society and do not appreciate their existence due to the kind of treatment they receive from police officers and other lawmakers. The result is loss of self-esteem and lack of self-worth. It is imperative to note that these happen when the idea of racial profiling is not legalized as law. An imagination into what the situation would be like once passed as law leaves it no doubt that the idea of racial profiling should not be legal in America. Conclusion The use of individual’s race and skin color as basis of judgment is not acceptable in the United States. Moreover, accepting racial profiling as a law enforcement practice only worsens the situation. In most cases, racial profiling involves associating these individuals to crime activities and terrorism. The whole idea of racial profiling is morally wrong. It leads to segregation of a portion of the population in the minds of lawmakers, impacting on their influence towards justice. Moreover, police officers would not perform their duties justly, community’s collaboration in cases of crimes reduces, and it may lead to more racial violence (Muffler 35). All these reasons support the idea that racial profiling should not be passed as law enforcement practice. Works cited Carmen, Alejandro. Racial profiling in America. New York: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008. MacDonald, Heather. Are Cops Racist? New York: Ivan R. Dee, 2010. Print Moody, Mia. Black and Mainstream Press' Framing of Racial Profiling: A Historical Perspective. New York: University Press of America, 2008. Print Muffler, Steven. Racial Profiling: Issues, Data, and Analyses. Massachusetts: Nova Publishers, 2006. Print Schmidt, Michael. Racial Profiling Rife at Airport, U.S. Officer Says. The New York Times blog, (2012, August 11): 23. Thompson, Rebekah. Racial Profiling in Law Enforcement and Its Effects on Citizen Attitudes Toward Police. New York: ProQuest, 2008. Print Read More