Arguments Against Racial Profiling

Racial Profiling Abstract: Racial profiling is considered by many to be the largest problem in our criminal justice system today. Racial profiling is common defined as the improper practice of selecting potential criminal suspects because of their race or ethnicity. Seeded in the roots of racism, racial profiling stretches broadly over the entire nation. And since the men in blue have views too, their possible belief in racism can come to power with their badge. With black males having a 51% probability of lifetime arrest compared to the 14% probability for white males you have to wonder if black males are doing more crimes, or if they are just targeted more. It may not always be easy to prove a racial profiling case, but to say it doesn?t
Most people have heard of the case of Amadou Diallo, a black man slain at his doorway by police, which for some reason was questioned to be a case of racial profiling at all. But the fact is that there are many other cases and complaints made against law enforcement officials, mostly involving traffic stops of minorities. The following are examples of cases and complaints made to the American Civil Liberties Union, which are posted on their web site, of racial profiling from various newspaper sources around the country: ? On December 4, 1999 around midnight, Narvella Berthia and Sylvia James of Oakland had just dropped off a friend after a gospel concert at the Paramount Theater. The police stopped the women with guns drawn. "We were in a Lexus that they thought was stolen," Berthia reported at a community meeting. "I?m still seeing a therapist because of that." Source: Oakland Tribune, March 31, 2000 Ray Marshall, an attorney from San Francisco, was stopped in 1997 as he crossed the Bay Bridge one night after work in his Mercedes. The officer told Marshall he hadn 't made a complete stop at the intersection to the on-ramp. The officer then asked him a