Preview

Racism

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
375 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Racism
Racial Profiling

Racial profiling is a practice where people of color and of certain religions are disproportionately targeted for investigation and enforcement of various laws. The existence of racial profiling dates back to slavery. In 1693, Philadelphia’s court officials gave police legal authority to stop and detain any Negro (freed or slaved) seen wandering around on the streets. This discriminatory practice continued through the Jim Crow era and now in the twenty first century, racial profiling is prevalent across cities in the U.S. It is used all around the globe in order to find and persecute criminals, terrorists, contrabandists, and others breaking the law. In some countries, racial profiling is completely lawful while in other countries it is considered a violation of human rights. For instance, in the United Sates, racial profiling is often considered to be an outrageous form of discrimination and is not accepted well by the society because it goes against many principles of the Constitution. Yet, some believe that racial profiling is a necessary evil, which will help the U.S. (and any other country) to prevent devastating terrorist attacks, illegal import and distribution of drugs, monetary machinations, and many other unlawful and inhumane actions. The range of responses to Racial Profiling spans from strong approval to outright disdain, this can easily be explained by the nation’s respect and admiration of democracy and the American way. There are a lot of people who are against racial profiling because racial profiling violates the 4th amendment of the Constitution, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures without a court-issued warrant and probable cause. Therefore, racial profiling violates the 14th amendment, which grants all American citizens, the right to Due Process and Equal Protection under the law. Research shows that people of color or minorities experience racial profiling more than whites in America. Police departments have

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Since the 1990’s Racial Profiling has become a major issue in our society. There has been an abundance of court cases, killings and protests where people from the Black community feel that they are being harassed, stopped and questioned or arrested, simply for their outward appearance and look. Racial profiling for the most part has been linked to the police and their investigative methods. However racial profiling is not just limited to the police and their methods. Since 9/11 and the Iraq war racial profiling has become apparent in our view and beliefs against the Muslim/Islamic community.…

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Racial profiling has influenced many people across the world; it has been a huge problem which needs to be resolved. The points discussed in this paper basically touch on why racial profiling is unacceptable and how it needs to be sustained. Why minorities shouldn’t have to suffer because of false stereotypes; also shouldn’t have to deal with bias opinions of the law. America is the land of the free also a place where second chances are embraced. There’s points made on how people reacted to racial profiling, and some resolutions. The ultimate goal is to minimize this epidemic in hopes people can start raising more…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Did you know that an appalling, unconstitutional and pernicious attack happens continuously in today’s society against innocent citizens and nobody does anything about it? This practice is called racial profiling. Mr. Bob Herbert, a journalist for the New York Times, discusses this in his article, “Hounding the Innocent”. This article is an insightful and informative. He informs his readers about many actual situations of innocent citizens becoming victims of this cruel practice. Mr. Herbert is correct, racial profiling is unnecessary and hurtful or is sickening and should not even exist. Racial profiling is the practice of using one’s skin color as evidence for grounds of suspicion. How can one say that this practice is fair? Racial profiling should be eliminated; it is insensitive, unconstitutional and has a detrimental effect on society.…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Racial Profiling is a controversial law enforcement practice that brings about numerous complex ethical and policy considerations. As defined by report for the Department of Justice (Tamir 2009), racial profiling is “any police-initiated action that relies on the race, ethnicity, or national origin rather than the behavior of an individual or information that leads police to a particular individual who has been identified as being, or having been, engaged in criminal activity.” Generally, the use of race in conjunction with other evidence has been a common method of investigation for law enforcement officials. However, the use of race in targeting potential suspects has been the center of a complex legal and ethical debate. Specifically, the debate surrounding racial profiling offers the issue of the proper use of race in targeting a suspect in a criminal investigation. Though the use of race can be important in investigative and law enforcement tactics, the practice of racial profiling leads to the potential of abusive actions by law enforcement in the pursuit of apprehending criminal suspects.…

    • 1414 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the United States of America racial discrimination still exists to this day. Minorities in our country are not seen as equal people. When a person is deprived of their human rights it makes them feel degraded and troubled. In order to become a more civilized country, we must forget the color of our own skin and live with each other as one. In the article “Why Racial Profiling is a Bad Idea” by Tom Head, discusses the way cops pay more attention to those of minority races and how they usually find them guilty of crimes they didn’t commit. Even though many officers will deny their participation in this type of profiling, a lot use this tactic to pull over and arrest Minority races. The article “Racial Profiling Lives On” by Devon Carbado, Cheryl Harris and Kimberle Crenshaw, also displays examples of how racial profiling continues to this day. There are many ways cops can search/arrest African Americans or other Minorities for no reason and still keep from breaking the Fourth Amendment and the authors of “Racial Profiling Lives On” supports there claims with emotional examples that appeal to a pathological type of audience.…

    • 1254 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Racial profiling is a very widespread topic. Racial profiling is beginning to spread across the United States and many other countries as if a fire spread in a forest. It is important for us to understand that racial profiling is impractical and hurtful to the persons targeted. It is also important for people to recognize that racial profiling puts fear into people’s hearts and that can have an emotional impact on the way people think, act and even their character. Racial Profiling should be a exercise that should be ended in all places including the court system and law enforcement. One can come up with several illustrations declaring its advantages and disadvantages. Although racial profiling can be useful in certain cases it is incorrect…

    • 146 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Racial profiling is a controversial issue that still occurs in today’s society. For some time, policemen have used racial profiling to determine those at fault during criminal activity. However, racial profiling must be stopped because it shows ineffectiveness and is embarrassing for the victims. Law enforcement should not be allowed to be discriminative towards a race solely because of their appearance and instincts. Minorities must be protected at all costs in order to have all the American values be fulfilled.…

    • 1492 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Racial Profiling has existed in the United States for Centuries now, and it is time for change. In “ Racial Profiling and its Solutions” the author states “Steps must be made to combat racial profiling, so the United States can truly live up to its word as an equal nation”. One way to get on the path of stopping Racial Profiling is to change the practice of law enforcement. The main cause of racial profiling comes from police officers, who use racial profiling as a way to harass people and abuse their authority. If the law enforcement would start stopping more individuals of color for actual reasons and stop doing it without a credible reason, the stop of racial profiling would come more easily, which is stated in “ University of Pennsylvania…

    • 183 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In theory, the building block of the justice system is that everyone received equal and fair treatment moreover, innocent until proven guilty. However, when racial profiling individuals are already presumed to be guilty. The risks outweigh the benefits associated with racial profiling because it violates the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment civil right, and fails to promote law enforcement. Unfair subjection of racial profiling towards minorities is embarrassing, humiliating and ineffective form or racial…

    • 1532 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The judging of an individual’s character by their race did not become relevant because of the Rodney King beating, the attacks on the World Trade Center, or the illegal aliens crossing the Mexican border. Racial Discrimination has been a reoccurring issue for centuries. Throughout time, these judgments and discriminations have led to unwarranted searches, racial riots and unjust prosecutions. Racial Profiling not only adds to this overwhelming issue but is upheld by the U.S. government and prominent leaders. Racial profiling has caused divisions between black men and the police, negative effects on immigration and race relations, and false imprisonment, further proving that racial profiling is not defensible public policy.…

    • 1356 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Racial profiling is not based on reasonable facts, but the assumption that some types of crimes are more prone to be perpetuated by people belonging to certain ethnic groups. For instance, African Americans are wrongly associated with violent crime which subjects them to harsher police investigations and sentences. Racial profiling, therefore, denies the victimized groups their rights and freedoms such as freedom from all forms of discrimination. As such, racial profiling goes against international conventions on human rights that aim at promoting human dignity and respect for human rights. The most commonly affected people are Blacks, Natives, Hispanics (Turenne, 4).…

    • 1358 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Racial profiling, the stereotypical cop vs anyone that isn’t white scenario, is happening in every back alley, ghetto, and high profile neighborhood across the nation. For those of you who don't know racial profiling is when someone is stopped for no reason other than the color of his or her skin. Unfortunately, in forty-six states racial profiling happens to have unclear laws or no data about the person is required to stop them, which is more than half the country even though it promotes stereotypes, isn't reliable, and causes psychological harm (Racial Profiling in America).…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Racial Profiling Research

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages

    According to definition, "Racial Profiling" refers to the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual's race, ethnicity, religion or national origin (Dictionary.com). Research shows that racial profiling, targets specific individuals or groups based on appearance, religion, and origin is illegal under the United States law. During the past years, racial profiling has been a big problem in the United States. Black people are often stereotype. Some people prospective think all blacks are criminals, whether being drug dealers, involved gangs and thieves. Many of these suspicious crimes leads up to unnecessary traffic stops, car searches, unrequired pat-downs and…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Racial profiling by police officers has affected the lives of multiple minorities across the globe. The fourth amendment states that the people have the “right to be secures in their persons, house, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized” (Legal Information Institute). Numerous people have lost loved ones because police have thought of a suspect to be a huge threat because of their ethnicity. Therefore, they abuse their authority and take excessive measures when taking out the “threat”. As stated in a reading by Kindaka…

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Racial Profiling Speech

    • 436 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Racial profiling policies set up law enforcement agencies as enemies of entire communities. That tends to be disproportionately affected by crime--when law enforcement agencies should be in the business of protecting crime victims and helping them find justice. Its seems like nowadays there are more killings that seem to be racially profiled for example, Travonne Martin, Eric Garner and Mike Brown just to name a few. Not only is racial profiling morally wrong but it is also a violation of the fourteenth amendment. Supporters of racial profiling argue that this practice is necessary because it cuts down on crime. If certain people are more likely to commit certain kinds of crimes, it makes sense to target them, they say. But racial profiling opponents cite research they say proves the practice is ineffective. For example, since the dawn of the war on drugs in the 1980s, law enforcement agents have disproportionately targeted black and Latino drivers for narcotics. But a number of studies on traffic stops found that white drivers were more likely than their African American and Hispanic counterparts to have drugs on…

    • 436 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays