Racial Profiling - Coursework Example

Racial Profiling Introduction Racial profiling has existed in the US since time immemorial. There have been many cases where the law that is meant toprotect the citizens has gone against them and carried out such hideous acts, whether it is unintentional or intentional nobody knows. Nobody can prove it since one has to look in a person’s mind to find the reason for one’s actions. Racial Profiling Racial Profiling can be defined in two a narrow and a broad sense. According to the broader definition, “racial profiling occurs when a law enforcement officer uses race or ethnicity as one of several factors in deciding to stop, question, arrest, and/or search someone” (Cleary, 2000). This means that on the bases of one’s racial background, appearance or some suspicion, a law enforcement officer can order the frisking of an individual without any evidence and justification otherwise. When the narrow definition is discussed, it applies to racial profiling “of police targeting African Americans for traffic stops because they believe that African Americans are more likely to be engaged in criminal activity” (Ethnic Majority, n.d.). Thus through this definition it is found that a general bias is against the African Americans and based on this bias, a law enforcement officer can frisk and detain the person without any evidence and justification otherwise. History of Racial Profiling The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s can be said to have a positive impact on the lives of the minorities in US especially for the Blacks. The law gave all Americans, minorities and majorities, equal rights. However when the issue of racial profiling is considered, many believe that the American minorities are still treated in sub standard ways. The minorities have to face increased opposition from the Whites in fields of education, employment and even their personal social life. The statistics show that the people belonging to minority groups are move involved in illicit activities. This forms a justification why there should be racial profiling against specific minorities so that crime can be controlled. But whereas this may be control the crime so some extent, the people in majority groups who commit crime would feel more secure so conduct their illicit habits since the focus of the police would be more on the minorities. (Anderson & Callahan, 2001) Apart from the above criticism, there are many viewpoints on this controversial topic. There are those who say that racial profiling is on the rise, mainly these people are the minorities who are subject to this treatment on a daily basis. They have evidence to support this claim that is Hispanic motorists made up only 13.5 percent of the drivers on that state’s highways, they represented 73.2 percent of those stopped and searched by the New Jersey State Patrol. (Cleary, 2000) Then there are those people who think that racial profiling is only on the rise in the US. The ratio who thinks this is higher for African Americans than for Whites. Lastly, there is a group of people who deny that racial profiling exists at all. Police officers say that when they stop individuals they focus on other factors rather than their race or color. Some people think that racial profiling should be done because the statistics of people who commit crimes show that majority of them belong to the minority. Also, they think that it might deter some crimes from happening. For example; if these boys are driving at night and are stopped by the police, they might not commit a crime that night. Those who think that racial profiling is wrong say that every human being has the right to equality in any form. Living in a country of which they are citizens, they have the right to be treated right by the people serving the country. Also, it adds to the feelings of resentment that the minorities might already have towards the Whites. They say that racial profiling is not practiced and then the US Forest Services Officers are asked to question all Hispanics, to stop the growing trade of marijuana. Driving on a road, you are more likely to be stopped if you belong to a minority group and are not white. Once stopped, you are most likely to be pressurized to allow the police to search your vehicle. This is most common form practiced. In 1996, the television network ABC aired a report entitled "Driving While Black," in which it paid three younger black men to drive around the city of New Brunswick, New Jersey, in a Mercedes-Benz. Three officers in the city pulled over the car for a minor traffic infraction and then proceeded to search the car and the young men. The show demonstrated with little doubt that the only reason the three men were pulled over was their race. (Farlex Free Dictionary) Reasons for Racial Profiling One thing about racial profiling is that every individual have their own ideas as to what is included. What might be racial profiling for one person might be totally normal for the other. Racial profiling has been embedded in people’s minds since a long time. It is an attitude held by the people of the US society. The major reason for racial profiling taking place is the War on Drugs. It is estimated that about $37 billion in the US goes annually to local, state, and federal lawmakers and cops to stop the sale and use of “illicit” substances. Since the minorities are more involved in this trade, the law enforcement agents scan for minority groups on the road and target them to check for drugs on the pretense of stopping them for speeding or changing lanes. According to a study by University of Pennsylvania professors, blacks are equally likely to be carrying drugs as whites, but blacks are stopped almost three and a half times more than the whites. This fact truly shows the racial profiling of the US law enforcers. Yet, the law enforcers come up with the theory that since frisking blacks more for drugs discourages them to carry it, if they weren’t frisked they would have carried more drugs than the whites. Since nobody can prove this theory, racial profiling is being continued with high intensity focusing on Blacks, Asians and Hispanics. (Anderson & Callahan, 2001) Present and Future Situation of Racial Profiling Racial profiling has evolved, the feeling held by people were more open towards the individual or the race in olden days. Minorities would be treated brutally and only used for menial tasks. Today the times have changed and it is illegal to express such feelings. The sad part is that although such acts are illegal, the mind set of the people or the attitudes that they hold are still the same. In their heart, they might still hold a grudge or a strong opinion about the other race. When incidents take place, the first person they would pin point is the individual belonging to the minority. After the Second World War, many new nations came into existence. But globalization has shown us that we can not live in a panacea and we will need to interact across cultures, with people from different races and ethnic groups. Preventing Racial Profiling For the past few years it has been a very prominent topic in the US. In his February address to Congress, President George W. Bush reported that hed asked Attorney General John Ashcroft "to develop specific recommendations to end racial profiling. Its wrong, and we will end it in America." The nomination of former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman as head of the Environmental Protection Agency was challenged on the basis of her alleged complicity in racial profiling practices in the Garden State. (Anderson & Callahan, 2001) One very important factor that will help in preventing racial profiling from spreading is that there should be an understanding in the community among all people. This understanding should focus on the fact that by going against each other they will cause disharmony in their society, go against the purpose of their nation and harm the economy. An example of racial profiling that got a little out of hand is that of Amadou Diallo. A 22 year old man, who was killed by four officers; they mistook his wallet for a gun. The officers shot at him 41 times out of which he got hit 19 times. The officers kept shooting even after he fell to the ground. This case caused uproar among the minorities who felt unsafe even at home. The officers were not convicted or charged with anything. There are many ways to stop racial profiling, but it will be a long and slow process because you will have to change the mind frame of the people and the society. Something that has been a part of the community for so long will not just evaporate into thin air, much effort by the government and the people will be required. Laws will have to be made and followed and strict action will be taken against those who do not follow these laws. The feeling of resentment will be finished by mixing the communities, providing equal opportunities, giving the minorities good jobs and salaries. This will reduce the crime level because many minority groups commit crimes to get some money so they can buy food. Works Cited 1. The Free Dictionary by Farlex. Racial Profiling. Retrieved March 8, 2008 from http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Racial+Profiling 2. Statement of Sanford Cloud Jr. The National Conference for Community and Justice Retrieved March 8, 2008 from http://www.nccj.org/nccj/nccj.nsf/subarticleall/354?opendocument 3. Racial Profiling of African, Hispanic (Latino), and Asian Americans Ethnic Majority, Retrieved March 8, 2008 from www.ethnicmajority.com 4. Anderson, William and Callahan, Gene (2001) The Roots of Racial Profiling from Reason Online Retrieved March 8, 2008 from http://www.reason.com/news/show/28138.html 5. Bhonsle, R.K (2006) Racial Profiling Episodic Misgivings Retrieved March 8, 2008 from http://www.boloji.com/opinion/0241.htm 6. Cleary, J (2000) Racial Profiling Studies in Law Enforcement: Issues and Methodology Retrieved March 8, 2008 from http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:wqlPjID2sAQJ:www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/pubs/raceprof.pdf+why+has+racial+profiling+evolved&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=pk&client=firefox-a 7. Editorial Board (2000) The Amadou Diallo case: The social and political roots of police violence from World Socialist Website. Retrieved March 8, 2008 from http://www.wsws.org/articles/2000/feb2000/dia2-f28.shtml 8. Garett, Brandon. Racial Profiling: A Comprehensive Legal Approach. The University of Dayton School of Law. Retrieved March 8, 2008 from http://academic.udayton.edu/race/03justice/profiling01.htm 9. Lipton, Eric (2000) The Diallo case: The overview; From Pulpits to Politics, Angry Voices on Diallo from The New York Times Retrieved March 8, 2008 from http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04EEDF1539F93BA15751C0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2 10. Reaves, Jessica (2000) Fast-Paced Diallo trial has not been kind to Defense from Time Retrieved March 8, 2008 from http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,39035,00.html Read More