Assurance in equal justice remains as an overwhelming political principle of American culture. Yet withstanding unbelief exists among numerous racial and ethnic minorities. Their doubt comes as no surprise, given a past filled with differential treatment in the arrangement of criminal equity, an issue particularly clear in police misconduct. Researchers have investigated police responses to racial and ethnic minorities for quite some time, offering sufficient confirmation of minority burden on account of police. These examinations raise doubt about different police techniques of coercive control, maybe none more so than police brutality. Its use exemplifies the pressures between police and minorities that exist in America today.
Throughout history, disputes and tensions between law enforcement officials and communities of minorities have endured hostility and violence between each other. Racial profiling has become a “hot topic” for researchers as well as for politicians and by now it is likely that most citizens are at least aware of the common accusations of racial bias pitted against law enforcement (Cochran & Warren, 2013). Communities of color are being discriminated against and racially profiled by white police officers for any suspicion of criminal activities. It has been widely assumed by policy makers and citizens alike that allegations of racial profiling are mostly associated with the policing practices of white officers and their treatment of racial and ethnic minorities (Cochran & Warren, 2013). Also, individuals of minority descent will certainly recognize that they are being racially profiled during a stop that is being conducted by a white police officer.
Looking at the numbers, the statistics are astonishing. The article, “Jim Crow Policing”, by Bob Herbert published the New York Times on February 2, 2010 addressed the issue of Racial Profiling in law enforcement in New York. The author finds racial profiling to be unnecessary and an abomination towards mankind/society. There have been other situations such as Mike Brown who was an unarmed black teenager that was shot and killed in 2014, by a white police officer, in St. Louis.
As a result police officers have become a major key in the arrests of many people of color. Alexander explains how police will stop and search people of color who are “suspected” of containing drugs or who look “suspicions.” Police officers are actually encouraged in their training to use racial profiling and when a person files a complaint the Courts always take the side of the police officer. As stated by Alexander, “The dirty little secret of policing is that the Supreme Court has actually granted the police license to discriminate” (130). Many would argue that police officers and the justice system are fair and that they don’t discriminate and that one does have a fair trial in court from all the lies the media and television shows feeds the people about the justice system and police force.
In February 2012, a 28-year-old man followed a 17-year-old youth and killed him on a residential street. The youth hadn’t done anything; he did not commit a crime, and he hadn’t provoked the older man. He was shot simply because he seemed “suspicious.” This was the story of Trayvon Martin’s death in Sanford, Florida at the hands of George Zimmerman (Cooper). Zimmerman, the killer, is a white man while Trayvon was an innocent black youth.
Racial profiling has always been an issue in the United States, although we as a society tend to ignore it, it is still occurring around us everyday. Data has proven that racial profiling is an issue, it shows that, “Racial profiling is real. Disparate treatment of black and brown men by police officers is real. Grotesquely disproportionate numbers of killings of black men by the police are real” (Blow). Blacks are the number one race that is being killed by police officers; the numbers of the killings are drastically high.
In conclusion, the idea of racial profiling and the issues on racism in today’s society calls attention to sustain peace and ethnic equality within communities all across the nation and around the world. It is important to acknowledge that the main solution to change the issues on racial profiling and racism is among the duties of government authorities, law enforcement officials, and the people of a nation. Everyone, of any race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or authority needs to understand that our voices and actions are capable of fixing the issues of racial injustice into a more fair environment to all people of color. Therefore, it is up to our knowledge and actions to help people understand that the solution to obtain racial equality
It’s been 4 years since the killing of Trayvon Martin and the verdict still hasn’t ended the debate about his death. Many supporters believe that his murder was a cowardly act by one George Zimmerman who shot and killed Martin. It was the night of February 26 when Martin went to a nearby 7-eleven to buy himself a snack. Wearing the hood of his grey shirt over his head, he paid the store clerk and left. He was walking back to his father’s house, where he was staying after he had been suspended from school.
Racial profiling is a huge controversial topic in law enforcement. Officers should be banned from using it to build a criminal case. Racial profiling is police that can racially profile and cam contact, search, detain, or arrest persons which was solely based on the person’s race or ethnicity rather than the individual’s behavior. In society today, the issue has been becoming more of a problem and is causing issues for the
Eventually an altercation broke down between Zimmerman and Martin which ended in Zimmerman pulling out a gun, shooting Martin, and killing him. This incident is an example of racial profiling gone wrong because Zimmerman saw an African American teenager and assumed that he was a criminal.
Treyvon Martin was a teenager who was unarmed, shot, and killed in Sanford, Florida. The incident happened on February 26, 2012. The officer who shot Martin followed Martin around outside when he then confronted Martin. They seemed to have some kind of argument, and then officer Zimmerman shot Martin in the chest. Zimmerman was questioned about his confrontation, where he pleaded self-defense.
Racial profiling is a problem across the entire nation in law enforcement. In every community it differs to who is being oppressed, and it usually depends on the type of race and ethnicity the community holds. As to us, our culture and setting consist of a high percentage of hispanics and latinos, so here comes to our problem as to who is being targeted mostly in our racist issues with the police brutally. The problem we face in our community is the fact that being from the culture, we grew up in all policemen stereotype latinos for the way they make look or speak.
It seems like all you see on TV today is about police and Racial Profiling. Police have always been accused of racial profiling but now that social media and the media is involved it has added fire into the pot that has led to law enforcement to have a bad name which is not fair to all the cop there who don’t do racial profiling. The media and social media have gather the attention of everyone with the black lives matter movement the black live matter movement started when an officer shot and killed a black male and has continue and has kept growing every since. for suspicion of crime based on the individual 's race, ethnicity, religion or national origin. Criminal profiling, generally, as practiced by police, is the reliance on a group of
In 2003, the Department of Defense (DOJ) banned the use of racial profiling in federal agencies, except when it came to looking for terrorists. States have also taken a stance against racial profiling, with many enacting their own laws that ban the use of racial profiling by the police. Departments are also encouraged to do things such as “monitor activity reports for evidence of improper practices and patterns” per the PERF report. In the end, it is up to the police officer and individual police departments to stop racial profiling and racially biased policing. If departments and people don’t try to change, then nothing will change in the
"Racial Profiling and Criminal Justice." The Journal of Ethics, vol. 15, no. 1-2, 2011. , pp. 79-88. Nclive, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10892-010-9098-3.