Racial Profiling Research Paper
White Supremacy Ideals in Racial Profiling
Nazifa Rahman is a nineteen-year-old student from the Bronx. Born and raised in New York City, she attended American schools her entire life/////She was born and raised in the city of New York and attended American schools her entire life. She was in the top five percent of her graduating class and was a national qualifier for the debate team. : Unbeknowst to her, Nazifa’s actions were being tracked by the NYPD. As a result of being a target of investigation, Nazifa has become afraid to participate in extracurricular activities “Even my father told me to keep a low profile,” Nazifa says after she found out that an NYPD officer was closely monitoring the Columbia University Muslim Student …show more content…
Association. Muslim Student Associations were not the only groups being monitored; Muslim schools, organizations, businesses and houses of worship were also targets of extensive surveillance. The NYPD even designated some mosques in the area as “terrorist enterprises.” NYPD surveillance is part of the wider Stop and Frisk program and is carried out without any particular investigative leads. Instead, entire communities are singled out as “suspicious” because of their religious affiliation. – well you only mentioned affiliation with a religious group as suspicious not any race/nationality.
The “Stop and Frisk” program in New York does not only target individuals of Muslims as “suspicious individuals” but also targets African-Americans and Latinos. The New York City Stop-Question-And-Frisk program is a practice of the New York City Police Department in which police officers stop and question hundreds of thousands of pedestrians annually, and frisk them for weapons and other contraband. In 2003, 87% of the New Yorkers who were stopped by the police were innocent. Out of these individuals who were “stopped and frisked,” 54% percent were black; 31% were Latino and only 12% were white (ACLU). However, the demographic of the individuals stopped is completely non-representative of the demographic population of New York City. According to “The Nation”, more African-American individuals were stopped than the total African-American population of New York. In relationship with the population demographic, there was no reason to stop blacks and Latinos at such high proportions////Tthe number of African-Americans and Latinos stopped, therefore, were disproportionately high as compared to their demographic composition. Moreover, police recovered weapons only 1.8 % of the time they stopped African-Americans and Latinos. In comparison, when Caucasians were interrogated, a weapon was found 3.9% of the time.
So why did the NYPD continue to stop minorities at such high rates?
Minorities have been associated with violence and inherently impulsive racial traits since the conception of America. A government official, Judge Sheindlein noted the disparity: “once a stop is made, blacks and Hispanics are more likely to be subjected to the use of force than whites, despite the fact that whites are more likely to be found with weapons or contraband” (Allen). According to the NYPD, only Anglo Saxon individuals are honored as The Stop and Frisk program and the prevalence of racial profiling demonstrate that eugenic ideals are still present in American society and only Anglo- individuals are honored as truly “trustworthy” citizens in America.our nation – our nation switches to first person, and it goes a little far to say that, maybe you should say something like According to the NYPD, only blabla are honored, its too much of a sweeping statement to say it across the …show more content…
board.
Racial profiling indicates that eugenics is not just a philosophy of the past, but that it is still prevalent today. Blacks, Latinos and Middle Eastern individuals are viewed by society as suspicious individuals because society stereotypes them to be more inherently prone to committing crimes. Therefore, white supremacy ideals still persist today. Historically, America was built on Anglo-Saxon ideals and economically provided for itself by subjugating the African race. Slavery has been abolished and the 15th amendment has granted Americans of all colors citizenship. However, whites still head America’s social hierarchy. Because of these remnant eugenic ideals, whites are seen as the most “civilized race” – if you use quotations, you have to cite. This notion reinforces the hierarchical dichotomy of civilized versus savage, positing minorities as the barbaric race// automatically classifies minorities as the less moral, barbaric race. According to Mark Hellner, an advocate of eugenic policies, “heredity shaped man’s personality and these assumptions rested on biological facts” (Somerville). Eugenicists derived their beliefs from the notion that white people had genetically more desirable character and physical traits, which they believed should be reproduced for the benefit of society.
Recently, thousands of photos have been found revealing nude photos at elite schools on the east coast(this sentence doesn’t seem clear – are the photos of students at these schools?, then you should insert nude photos of students at elite colleges) (Also you need a transition!! This seems like a big shift without connection to the last paragraph! --- like Despite the assumption that eugenic ideals are extinct, a recent controversy demonstrates the existence of eugenic beliefs in contemporary society..) . Photographers claimed to have taken these photos to study and correct the posture of students. However, George Hersey, a history professor at Yale, argues that these scientists had a different agenda completely. Hersey asserts that “entire generations of America’s ruling class had been unwitting guinea pigs in a vast eugenic experiment” arguing that scientists were actually studying different body figures and shapes of these elite students as indicators of future success (Rosenbaum)
White supremacy is deeply rooted within American society (you make really general statements, maybe consider qualifying them by saying something like “Examples of practices based on notions of White Supremacy can be found throughout America’s history”).
America has an extensive history of segregation and subjugation of non-white populations that racial profiling must seem almost natural for police officers (I really wouldn’t argue that past practices make racial profiling seem natural for police officers). In 1896, Plessey v. Ferguson upheld the constitutionality of state laws that segregated blacks and whites (add something here about how these laws were made under the premis of treating black people as separate, but supposedly equal, because otherwise the next sentence doesn’t make sense bc it seems like segregation was upheld and then you say “however” black people weren’t equal, you should explain why the reader should expect that Plessy aimed to treat black people as equal) . However, black services were far from equal (what are black services?). This government policy perpetuated the oppression of African-Americans, ensuring that they would not be empowered enough through education or financial independence to be able to overthrow the racial hierarchy. “Black men who were equal to white passengers in education and attainment posed a threat, while the presence of black servants reassured white passengers about their respective places in society” (Who says this? Don’t
just put a quotation without any explanation, say something like Renowned African-American scholar Kelly says ) (Kelley). Muslim surveillance is analogous to historical black segregation (this seems like a very strong claim, I would qualify this as well, saying the treatment of Muslim minorities under the Stop and Frisk policy shares elements of the racist attitudes towards black people demonstrated in policies instating segregation). Many Muslims, the NYPD believes, pose a threat to American society and culture. Many stereotypes propose that Muslims have immigrated to America to impose Sharia law on the nation or the Islamic moral code (where are you getting this from? Citation is necessary and I would say “A common stereotype of Muslims posits that they have immigrated etc”) . In order to decrease the perceived threat against society prevent destruction to the status quo of American society, the NYPD and other policing agencies have started surveying elite Muslim organizations. Highly educated and financially able Muslims impose a threat to Anglo Saxon supremacy just as educated blacks did in the past. Recently, the FBI conducted an extensive investigation of an individual named Mr. Elshinawy. The FBI had had no reason or evidence to suggest criminal activity. However, the NYPD "deemed him a threat in part because “he is so highly regarded by so many young and impressionable individuals”(Yachot). The NYPD went so far as to spy on Mr. Elshinawy at his wedding, with an informant recording all attendees. Although formal segregation has been deemed unconstitutional, a pattern of informal segregation still exists. In the past, conductors of railroad cars could choose to enforce the color line at their own discretion. Conductors often moved black passengers to the smoking cars or ejected them entirely. Recently, not much has changed: NYPD police officers can choose to interrogate any individual at will, mainly based on skin color and ethnicity without any direct evidence or search warrants. In August, the Stop and Frisk program was deemed unconstitutional with the help of the Community Safety Act. The Community Safety Act aimed at ending discriminatory policing and worked towards increasing accountability and transparency of the NYPD (Legislation). With the Community Safety Act, New Yorkers will be able to live in a safe city where police officers must treat all residents equally and respectfully, and are not above the law. Although, the NYPD has gained some credibility with these implemented changes, the larger problem is far from over.
Racial profiling is still prevalent in America. In the past, amendments and constitutional changes have been the basis of vast social change. In order to stop informal segregation such as Muslim surveillance, we must continue to make constitutional changes. We must create a federal law to end racial profiling and expand the category of individuals who are protected from profiling. Once these strict constitutional changes have been implemented, society can shift away from racial stereotyping. First of all, the anti-racial profiling law would promote the human rights of all people regardless of their race, sexual orientation, religion, or national origin (Legislation) (but anti-racial profiling law wouldn’t actually extend to sexual orientation or religion?). Secondly, these laws would also promote the racial understanding of communities that are affected by racial and religious profiling and create a greater cohesive community within the United States. Americans would stop classifying themselves and each other based on racial categories, or religious identities but finally start seeing each other as a nation of Americans (I wouldn’t predict what they would do, instead you should say that Americans can or should…). Only after the government makes significant changes in our legal system can racial hierarchies be disrupted and minorities be afforded real equality in society. the Anglo Saxon lose his supremacy and will our society truly distance itself from “white privilege.” In America’s past, social theories about race and foreign cultures have tremendously progressed (you haven’t made this argument anywhere, actually you argued the opposite, so you should say, despite indications of progress in society, such as the election of a black President, minorities continue to be discriminated against and oppressed through. etc). In the past three hundred years, we have moved from slavery to the election of a black president.. With some critical additions to our legal system, Nazifa and other minorities like her will be treated fairly and equally. No longer will Muslims and other minorities fear being singled out and stigmatized because of their religion or race. race (muslim is not a race? It’s a religion?).
Some questions to ask:
-how minorities are affected by this stop and frisk law
-how does the stop and frisk law affect their relationship minorities with the law and their communiities
Works Cited
Allen, Freddy. "New York’s 'Stop-and-frisk ' Policy Declared Unconstitutional." N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
"Ending Stop-and-Frisk for Good ." The Nation. Ed. Ross Tuttle. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
Ford, Milt. "A Brief History of Homosexuality." Allies and Advocates. Grand Valley State University, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
Kelley, Blair. The Color Line and the Ladie 's Car. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
"Legislation to Combat Discriminatory Policing and Hold the NYPD Accountable." Communities United for Police Reform. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
Palatnik, Andrea. New York 's Muslim communities feel 'stigmatized ' by NYPD stop-and-frisks. N.p.: n.p., 2012. Print.
Rosenbaum, Ron. The Great Ivy League Nude Posture Photo Scandal. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
Somerville, Siobhan. "Scientific Racism and the Emergence of the Homosexual
Body." Journal of the History of Sexuality. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
Yachot, Noa. "With No Evidence of Wrongdoing, NYPD Treats Entire Mosques as Terrorist Groups." N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
Nazifa Rahman is a nineteen-year-old student from the Bronx. Born and raised in New York City, she attended American schools her entire life/////She was born and raised in the city of New York and attended American schools her entire life. She was in the top five percent of her graduating class and was a national qualifier for the debate team. : Unbeknowst to her, Nazifa’s actions were being tracked by the NYPD. As a result of being a target of investigation, Nazifa has become afraid to participate in extracurricular activities “Even my father told me to keep a low profile,” Nazifa says after she found out that an NYPD officer was closely monitoring the Columbia University Muslim Student …show more content…
Association. Muslim Student Associations were not the only groups being monitored; Muslim schools, organizations, businesses and houses of worship were also targets of extensive surveillance. The NYPD even designated some mosques in the area as “terrorist enterprises.” NYPD surveillance is part of the wider Stop and Frisk program and is carried out without any particular investigative leads. Instead, entire communities are singled out as “suspicious” because of their religious affiliation. – well you only mentioned affiliation with a religious group as suspicious not any race/nationality.
The “Stop and Frisk” program in New York does not only target individuals of Muslims as “suspicious individuals” but also targets African-Americans and Latinos. The New York City Stop-Question-And-Frisk program is a practice of the New York City Police Department in which police officers stop and question hundreds of thousands of pedestrians annually, and frisk them for weapons and other contraband. In 2003, 87% of the New Yorkers who were stopped by the police were innocent. Out of these individuals who were “stopped and frisked,” 54% percent were black; 31% were Latino and only 12% were white (ACLU). However, the demographic of the individuals stopped is completely non-representative of the demographic population of New York City. According to “The Nation”, more African-American individuals were stopped than the total African-American population of New York. In relationship with the population demographic, there was no reason to stop blacks and Latinos at such high proportions////Tthe number of African-Americans and Latinos stopped, therefore, were disproportionately high as compared to their demographic composition. Moreover, police recovered weapons only 1.8 % of the time they stopped African-Americans and Latinos. In comparison, when Caucasians were interrogated, a weapon was found 3.9% of the time.
So why did the NYPD continue to stop minorities at such high rates?
Minorities have been associated with violence and inherently impulsive racial traits since the conception of America. A government official, Judge Sheindlein noted the disparity: “once a stop is made, blacks and Hispanics are more likely to be subjected to the use of force than whites, despite the fact that whites are more likely to be found with weapons or contraband” (Allen). According to the NYPD, only Anglo Saxon individuals are honored as The Stop and Frisk program and the prevalence of racial profiling demonstrate that eugenic ideals are still present in American society and only Anglo- individuals are honored as truly “trustworthy” citizens in America.our nation – our nation switches to first person, and it goes a little far to say that, maybe you should say something like According to the NYPD, only blabla are honored, its too much of a sweeping statement to say it across the …show more content…
board.
Racial profiling indicates that eugenics is not just a philosophy of the past, but that it is still prevalent today. Blacks, Latinos and Middle Eastern individuals are viewed by society as suspicious individuals because society stereotypes them to be more inherently prone to committing crimes. Therefore, white supremacy ideals still persist today. Historically, America was built on Anglo-Saxon ideals and economically provided for itself by subjugating the African race. Slavery has been abolished and the 15th amendment has granted Americans of all colors citizenship. However, whites still head America’s social hierarchy. Because of these remnant eugenic ideals, whites are seen as the most “civilized race” – if you use quotations, you have to cite. This notion reinforces the hierarchical dichotomy of civilized versus savage, positing minorities as the barbaric race// automatically classifies minorities as the less moral, barbaric race. According to Mark Hellner, an advocate of eugenic policies, “heredity shaped man’s personality and these assumptions rested on biological facts” (Somerville). Eugenicists derived their beliefs from the notion that white people had genetically more desirable character and physical traits, which they believed should be reproduced for the benefit of society.
Recently, thousands of photos have been found revealing nude photos at elite schools on the east coast(this sentence doesn’t seem clear – are the photos of students at these schools?, then you should insert nude photos of students at elite colleges) (Also you need a transition!! This seems like a big shift without connection to the last paragraph! --- like Despite the assumption that eugenic ideals are extinct, a recent controversy demonstrates the existence of eugenic beliefs in contemporary society..) . Photographers claimed to have taken these photos to study and correct the posture of students. However, George Hersey, a history professor at Yale, argues that these scientists had a different agenda completely. Hersey asserts that “entire generations of America’s ruling class had been unwitting guinea pigs in a vast eugenic experiment” arguing that scientists were actually studying different body figures and shapes of these elite students as indicators of future success (Rosenbaum)
White supremacy is deeply rooted within American society (you make really general statements, maybe consider qualifying them by saying something like “Examples of practices based on notions of White Supremacy can be found throughout America’s history”).
America has an extensive history of segregation and subjugation of non-white populations that racial profiling must seem almost natural for police officers (I really wouldn’t argue that past practices make racial profiling seem natural for police officers). In 1896, Plessey v. Ferguson upheld the constitutionality of state laws that segregated blacks and whites (add something here about how these laws were made under the premis of treating black people as separate, but supposedly equal, because otherwise the next sentence doesn’t make sense bc it seems like segregation was upheld and then you say “however” black people weren’t equal, you should explain why the reader should expect that Plessy aimed to treat black people as equal) . However, black services were far from equal (what are black services?). This government policy perpetuated the oppression of African-Americans, ensuring that they would not be empowered enough through education or financial independence to be able to overthrow the racial hierarchy. “Black men who were equal to white passengers in education and attainment posed a threat, while the presence of black servants reassured white passengers about their respective places in society” (Who says this? Don’t
just put a quotation without any explanation, say something like Renowned African-American scholar Kelly says ) (Kelley). Muslim surveillance is analogous to historical black segregation (this seems like a very strong claim, I would qualify this as well, saying the treatment of Muslim minorities under the Stop and Frisk policy shares elements of the racist attitudes towards black people demonstrated in policies instating segregation). Many Muslims, the NYPD believes, pose a threat to American society and culture. Many stereotypes propose that Muslims have immigrated to America to impose Sharia law on the nation or the Islamic moral code (where are you getting this from? Citation is necessary and I would say “A common stereotype of Muslims posits that they have immigrated etc”) . In order to decrease the perceived threat against society prevent destruction to the status quo of American society, the NYPD and other policing agencies have started surveying elite Muslim organizations. Highly educated and financially able Muslims impose a threat to Anglo Saxon supremacy just as educated blacks did in the past. Recently, the FBI conducted an extensive investigation of an individual named Mr. Elshinawy. The FBI had had no reason or evidence to suggest criminal activity. However, the NYPD "deemed him a threat in part because “he is so highly regarded by so many young and impressionable individuals”(Yachot). The NYPD went so far as to spy on Mr. Elshinawy at his wedding, with an informant recording all attendees. Although formal segregation has been deemed unconstitutional, a pattern of informal segregation still exists. In the past, conductors of railroad cars could choose to enforce the color line at their own discretion. Conductors often moved black passengers to the smoking cars or ejected them entirely. Recently, not much has changed: NYPD police officers can choose to interrogate any individual at will, mainly based on skin color and ethnicity without any direct evidence or search warrants. In August, the Stop and Frisk program was deemed unconstitutional with the help of the Community Safety Act. The Community Safety Act aimed at ending discriminatory policing and worked towards increasing accountability and transparency of the NYPD (Legislation). With the Community Safety Act, New Yorkers will be able to live in a safe city where police officers must treat all residents equally and respectfully, and are not above the law. Although, the NYPD has gained some credibility with these implemented changes, the larger problem is far from over.
Racial profiling is still prevalent in America. In the past, amendments and constitutional changes have been the basis of vast social change. In order to stop informal segregation such as Muslim surveillance, we must continue to make constitutional changes. We must create a federal law to end racial profiling and expand the category of individuals who are protected from profiling. Once these strict constitutional changes have been implemented, society can shift away from racial stereotyping. First of all, the anti-racial profiling law would promote the human rights of all people regardless of their race, sexual orientation, religion, or national origin (Legislation) (but anti-racial profiling law wouldn’t actually extend to sexual orientation or religion?). Secondly, these laws would also promote the racial understanding of communities that are affected by racial and religious profiling and create a greater cohesive community within the United States. Americans would stop classifying themselves and each other based on racial categories, or religious identities but finally start seeing each other as a nation of Americans (I wouldn’t predict what they would do, instead you should say that Americans can or should…). Only after the government makes significant changes in our legal system can racial hierarchies be disrupted and minorities be afforded real equality in society. the Anglo Saxon lose his supremacy and will our society truly distance itself from “white privilege.” In America’s past, social theories about race and foreign cultures have tremendously progressed (you haven’t made this argument anywhere, actually you argued the opposite, so you should say, despite indications of progress in society, such as the election of a black President, minorities continue to be discriminated against and oppressed through. etc). In the past three hundred years, we have moved from slavery to the election of a black president.. With some critical additions to our legal system, Nazifa and other minorities like her will be treated fairly and equally. No longer will Muslims and other minorities fear being singled out and stigmatized because of their religion or race. race (muslim is not a race? It’s a religion?).
Some questions to ask:
-how minorities are affected by this stop and frisk law
-how does the stop and frisk law affect their relationship minorities with the law and their communiities
Works Cited
Allen, Freddy. "New York’s 'Stop-and-frisk ' Policy Declared Unconstitutional." N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
"Ending Stop-and-Frisk for Good ." The Nation. Ed. Ross Tuttle. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
Ford, Milt. "A Brief History of Homosexuality." Allies and Advocates. Grand Valley State University, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
Kelley, Blair. The Color Line and the Ladie 's Car. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
"Legislation to Combat Discriminatory Policing and Hold the NYPD Accountable." Communities United for Police Reform. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
Palatnik, Andrea. New York 's Muslim communities feel 'stigmatized ' by NYPD stop-and-frisks. N.p.: n.p., 2012. Print.
Rosenbaum, Ron. The Great Ivy League Nude Posture Photo Scandal. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
Somerville, Siobhan. "Scientific Racism and the Emergence of the Homosexual
Body." Journal of the History of Sexuality. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
Yachot, Noa. "With No Evidence of Wrongdoing, NYPD Treats Entire Mosques as Terrorist Groups." N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.