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Racial Profiling. By Jeff Arnett Sec 23. Definitions. Racial profiling is a form of racism consisting of the policy of policemen who stop and search vehicles driven by persons belonging to particular racial groups.
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Racial Profiling By Jeff Arnett Sec 23
Definitions • Racial profiling is a form of racism consisting of the policy of policemen who stop and search vehicles driven by persons belonging to particular racial groups. • 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. • Government activity directed at a suspect or group of suspects because of their race
Examples • The targeting of Arabs and Muslims since the attacks on September 11th. • The term “Driving while black”, which refers to the practice of police targeting African Americans for traffic stops because they believe that African Americans are more likely to be engaged in criminal activity.
Dangers of racial profiling • When law enforcement officials focus on race they cast too wide a net, making it more likely that a criminal who does not "fit the profile" will go unnoticed. • Despite its newfound popularity, the real battle for equal protection and justice under the law has been quietly raging across American courtrooms for decades, and it is a battle that people of color continue to lose. Sooner or later, these people will take matters into their on hands.
Examples of these dangers • Example 1: After the bombing a federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, the two white male assailants were able to flee while officers reportedly operated on the initial theory that 'Arab terrorists' had committed the attacks.
Examples of these dangers • Example 2: In 2003, reportedly as an act of civil disobedience, a white college student from Maryland smuggled box cutters, bleach, matches, and an item with the same consistency of plastic explosives onto six airplanes. Later, he said that he was able to pass through airport security multiple times because he did not "fit the profile".
Examples of these dangers • Example 3: During the 2003 sniper attacks in the D.C. area, the police were looking for a white man acting alone (the standard profile of a serial killer). Meanwhile, the African-American man and boy who were and convicted for the crimes were able to pass through multiple roadblocks with the alleged murder weapon in their possession.
This chart shows the percentage of times a certain race is stopped and what percentage of these stops leads to a car being searched or someone getting arrested.
References • American Civil Liberties Union. 15 Aug.2005. The ACLU and the ACLU Foundation. 7 Apr. 2007. <http://www.aclu.org/racialjustice/racialprofiling/19901res20050815.html/> • Ethnic Majority. 2004. NAACP 7 Apr. 2007. <http://www.ethnicmajority.com/racial_profiling.htm/> • Amnesty International USA. 2007. 7 Apr. 2007 <http://www.amnestyusa.org/Racial_Profiling/Questions_and_Answers_on_Racial_Profiling/page.do?id=1106651&n1=3&n2=850&n3=1298/> • Racial profiling and the Fourth Amendment. 7 Apr. 2007 <http://bc.edu/bc_org/avp/law/lwsch/journals/bctwj/21_2/02_TXT.htm/>