The Problem of Racial Profiling in the United States

Despite the civil rights victories of thirty years ago, racial prejudice is reflected throughout the criminal justice system. For people of color in cities large and small across the nation, north and south, east and west, Jim Crow Justice is alive and well. (Is Jim Crow1). Racial profiling was and is a practice in traffic stops and searches. Racial profiling is alive and well in todays society, which it should be, in some very finely studied instances to keep this world clear of violence, terrorism, and drugs.

Profiling is seen in everyday life. Today the color of a persons skin makes that person a suspect in America. Statistics show that on a fifty mile stretch of road in Maryland, seventy-six percent of motorists stopped were black (Expert says sting2). Nationally, black and Hipics are two times more likely to get their vehicles searched as whites. People are judged by the color of their skin, when it should be the content of their character, unless reasons show otherwise obvious factors of breaking laws or creating violence. Why not use characteristics to profile a person if in fact they are doing something wrong.

Businesses who adopt the policy of affirmative action in their hiring do have to look at the profiling of their applicants. Certain jobs may be handed out to those on the basis of a personal characteristic. Profiling of people does not necessarily insure that the most qualified person will be hired. This is an example of profiling being a help or disadvantage to society. If a person qualifies for a job then they should get that job, they shouldnt be held back from that job due to there race. On the other hand if a person has no skills in that area and receives the job it is hurting the business.

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People say, black is bad white is good. Police operate on the basis of myths about drug-distribution. Suspicion might lead a police office to find drugs stashed in a black persons car, when yet they are more likely to find a stash of drugs in a white persons car. They should do such only if they have proven information, or can see that there is a need to put and end to what is happening in that situation. The prevalence of racial profiling is no secret. Police use certain characteristics as reasons for stopping individuals: expensive high-top sneakers-unlaced, sagging, baggy trousers, and XXL Hoodie, a bandanna or baseball cap worn at any angle (Noel 2). Characteristics like these show gang involvement or drug usage. It is a lot easier to target drugs on the streets than in the workplace. African-Americans are more likely to go to jail for a drug offense rather than whites for the same offense. Whites are more likely to use drugs than blacks are. Little details like these should be used to separate those who would be a dangerous threat to society.

Legislators threaten to pass laws ending this iniquity. During the presidential campaigning of 2000, Al Gore and George W. Bush ensured that they would take steps to end profiling in todays society if they were elected to office. New Jersey police will face limits on their ability to randomly search vehicles (expert says sting3). California, Connecticut, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island enacted statutes that prohibit police from engaging in racial profiling. What about the rest of the states in the United States or even the world? What is being done to rid the country of this practice? As of now nothing, the courts seem to put it off.

Not only have the courts failed to recognize that racial profiling is unconstitutional, but they have effectively insulated it from legal challenge (Cole, David and John Copeland 1). Lawsuits have challenged profiling and have succeeded, making it only a political pressure. In 1996 the Court upheld the practice of perpetual traffic stops, in which police officers use the excuse of a traffic violation to stop motorists when they are investigating some other crime. The same year, the Court allowed police to useprofiling to stop whoever they wanted too to obtain consent to search. The Court requires proof that individual officers acted out of racist motives in each case (Cole, David and John Copeland 2).

Driving While Black is a common phrase used by police while pulling over or stopping cars. June 2000, seventy-five percent of Americans believed Racial profiling is a problem. Fifty-nine percent believe it is a widespread practice used by police (racial profiling, overcoming1). If this is so, profiling is obviously being pushed too far and needs to have boundaries to its usage.

Todays society perceives middle easterners as threats. In the movies of the 1900s, Arab terrorists replaced soviets as evil. The gravest threats of all-biological, nuclear, and chemical terrorism- emanate mostly from Islamic extremists and do not involve airliners (Taylor, Stuart, Jr. 4). During the 1990s-airline employees could flag anyone for surveillance and extra security whom they believed fit the profile of a potential terrorist, which should be able to be done to a certain extent, meaning not abusing the right on every person that is not of the white race. One-hundred percent of the people who have hi-jacked airliners for the purpose of mass-murdering Americans have been Arab men (Taylor, Stuart, Jr. 3). Profiling is a major part of airline security and safety precautions. For the safety of all people involved in air travel every single person needs to be seen as a threat as evidenced by recent events.

So how might we solve this problem of maintaining everyones safety as well as everyones rights? To maintain safety as well as equality all persons boarding a plane should be searched or questioned in an equal manner. Black or foreign people are more likely to get searched or pulled over. According to the Bureau Justice Statistics racial profiling is a major factor of police work. Four point three percent of whites, eight point five percent of blacks, nine point seven percent of Hipics vehicles were searched. Three point five percent of whites, eight percent of blacks, seven percent of Hipics were physically searched. Two point five percent of whites, six point four percent of blacks, five percent of Hipics resulted in handcuffing of the driver.

Two point five percent of whites, six point five percent of blacks, five percent of Hipics resulted in arrest of the driver. Whites are more likely to have a favorable opinion of police (Racially Biased Law14). Does this show anything about who is a treat, or who needs to be watched? Facts show the most of the street- level drug dealers in Washington are black. Facts show the problems and who is creating the violence, selling the drugs, and disobeying the law. Do these facts show enough to where anything can or will be done?

Profiling should be used to a certain extent. Often it is enforced too harshly, resulting in violence. Even further to death or serious injury. As seen in the south in times of the past.

It is not that African-Americans are overrepresented as criminals and underrepresented as victims, or that young people are overrepresented as criminals, or that violent crime itself is given undue coverage. It is all three together, combining forces to produce a terribly unfair and inaccurate overall image of crime in America. Add to that the majority of readers and viewers who rarely have any personal experience with crime by Black youth, and a White adult population who must rely on the media to tell them that story and we have the perfect recipe for a misinformed public and misguided power structure. (Racially Biased Law12). Is racial profiling a problem in todays society? To a certain extent some think it is enforced too harshly. Good can come out of using this tactic though. If the truth can be seen and it is a threat why not use this practice against criminals.

Does racial profiling occur in America? Yes, it does occur. Is racial profiling constitutionally appropriate? With a strict interpretation of the Constitution it is not appropriate. So, why does it occur? It occurs because of many reasons: it is easier to catch the criminals when it is easier to pick out the ones that might be committing a crime. Police rely on former statistics to assist them in their decisions. There is not enough time and money to search every single person at airports. Do all people want to put up with this search technique? For reasons of time and personal dignity probably not. For the same reason of personal dignities, the people that are searched due to the color of their skin on highways or city streets, need to be remembered.

Another reason it is allowed to continue is due to the actions of the court systems. Practices of racial profiling are allowed to continue and the courts do not make rulings to stop it. Courts are protecting, rather than helping to end, racial profiling by police (Cole, David and John Copeland 3). Racial profiling in news reporting, also known as Media Blackface, contributes to the continuation of this occurrence. A different World: Childrens Perceptions of Race and Class in the Media reported that children of all races agree that the news media tend to portray African-American and Latino people more negatively than white and Asian people, particularly when the news is about young people (Mikal, Muharrar 3). African-American, Latino, and Asian children feel there should be more people of their as newscasters.

Reduction of racial profiling will be a long process. Ideally each person should be judged by their own personal worth. People should be judged by the content of their character.

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