Racial Profiling

Two Biggest Key Events of the 21st Century & Forms of

Some Insight

Generally, racial profiling has always taken a large role in the public discourse—especially among the minorities, following high-profile events “such as the killing of Amadou Diallo or the beating of Rodney King” (Shally-Jensen 633). It’s not that civilians do not recognize the big issue, for they often express outrage when these big events occur. Mostly, people have generally acquired these actions as “a consequence of race-based policing” (Shally-Jensen 633). One of the biggest tragedies ever laid on the United States—September 11, 2001. Following the event, association of terrorism with any form of Middle Eastern identity followed; suddenly America’s attitude towards foreigners of all sorts started to change. And even individuals who never practiced racial profiling found themselves in this position. One of the worst sides of America was shown through “National security”; for paranoia concerning this issue started to barge into many civil liberties. “Although with the passage of time, this apparent dichotomy has subsided.” (Shally-Jensen 633)

Hurricane KatrinaWhen Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United State in 2005, people all around the world were grieving with those affected here. What people saw through television broadcasting and news reports was “a city devastated, its citizens homeless, and its government paralyzed” (Ethnicity 14-16). Another big image of the tragedy however, was that the victims were poor and black. What people argued and observed was a huge group of black people living in “desperate poverty” without any means of getting themselves out of their situation. “They contended that it showed how race and poverty in that city, and the entire country, are highly correlated, but largely ignored. (Ethnicity 14-16).

• Slow government reaction to Katrina resulted in the public anger by Black members of congress ; what’s interesting is that many asserted that race played a big role in the slow response to the tragedy.

• And so the event sparked a national debate about race in America.• “Obama pointed out: "I hope we realize that the people of new Orleans weren't just abandoned

during the hurricane. They were abandoned long ago--to murder and mayhem in the streets, to substandard schools, to dilapidated housing, to inadequate health care, to a pervasive sense of hopelessness“”(Shally-Jensen 14-16).

• Despite all this, many still did not believe that the event had not raise any racial issues. • It was interesting that Whites and nonwhites simply perceived the issue very differently.

Hurricane Katrina

• “As many news analysts, both black and white, pointed out, the disaster and its aftermath was an unfortunate reminder that dialogue about race in the US is fraught with tension and, because of deep differences in outlooks between different ethnic groups, resolution is rarely achieved”.

• “Events such as Katrina make clear that below the surface, racial animosities continue to foment, and despite important advances, Americans still have not come to grips with its racialized past”.

• “Katrina prompted some critics to argue that in the 21st century minorities are still second-class citizens who for all practical purposed do not enjoy the full complement of rights taken for granted by whites”. (Ethnicity 14-15)

9/11Ever since 9/11, immigrants have been kept on the red-eye in terms of whether they’re national origins are “terrorist-harboring nations” or if their customs appear to be slightly more traditional—in regard to dressing for example. If this event did not increase racial profiling, no other event in American history would be worthy enough. • “All are forms of profiling are controversial law-enforcement practices because they

discriminate against the targeted groups. • Profiling can be seen as a form of harassment of targeted immigrant communities. It is viewed

as a discriminatory cause of differential crime rates between groups because people from profiled groups are more likely to be stopped by law enforcement or the U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

• Nevertheless, officers need to identify unauthorized entrants and criminal suspects” (Shally-Jensen).

It is the method of identifying actual criminals from innocent civilians that has aroused a huge controversy. The irony of it all is that many citizens still unaware of the extent to which their own rights are being hindered from them “within 100 miles of a national border or by legislation passed to fight the war on terror” (Shally-Jensen).

Police-Minority Relationship

• “In a recent study, researchers used conflict theory to discuss the police-minority relationship and how the law is differentially enforced against minorities in order to protect white interests.

• Other research looks at a conflict theory variant, group-position theory, to describe how dominant groups view the police as allies. Some researchers have discussed how cognitive bias and its associated concept of in-group bias explain the disproportionate numbers of minority motorists stopped by the police” (Shally-Jensen 635).

Unauthorized Immigrant Racial Profiling

In a way, immigrant racial profiling was a result of—well, the countless attempts by Latin, Mexican citizens to illegally cross the border; therefore they would be more likely to be stopped than any other nationalities. • “In 1975, the Supreme Court decided in United States v. Brignoni-Ponce

that since Mexicans were estimated to make up 85 percent of undocumented entrants, an officer could use “Mexican appearance” as a “relevant factor” for investigation provided that it was not the only ground for suspicion” (Shally-Jensen 638).

• Among the many, one result has been the high likelihood of Mexican deportation.

• However, Immigration profiling may be unfair to other citizens or rightful residents in the United States. “For if Mexican profiling occurs, then Hispanic citizens, permanent resident aliens, and individuals with visas may be stopped, interrogated, and detained as well as individuals of other ethnicity who are mistaken as Hispanic” (Shally-Jensen 638).