Racial Profiling by Police Essay - 1669 Words

Brent Staples’ essay, â€Å"When the Paranoids Turn Out to be Right,† acknowledges the issues of racism and racial profiling committed by police. In â€Å"Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun,† Geoffrey Canada also expresses views on this issue when he asserts that police fail to protect and serve individuals in poor neighborhoods. Staples contends, â€Å"Among the day-to-day acts of discrimination that shadow African Americans, none are more stressful or dangerous than those committed by police, some of whom treat black people as criminals until proved otherwise.† (Staples. 380) Although statistics show that the looming presence of narcotics and violence is more prevalent in urban neighborhoods, police should apply the same effort to protect individuals in these†¦show more content†¦With this new evidence, millions of white people now have a substantial insight into the nightmarish reality that black people have to live day after day. In state legislative hea rings carried out by the Black and Latino Caucus of New Jersey, the interviews of former state troopers revealed that barracks bulletin boards were once covered with racial epithets and that troopers would use racist banter over the radio, describing cars with black drivers as â€Å"buckets of coal.† This testimony, along with other first- hand accounts given at this conference provides proof that when entering encounters with African- Americans, police often have a pessimistic view instead of an objective one. In addition to treating those in poor neighborhoods as criminals until proven otherwise, police also are failing these individuals when they continue to have the preconceived notion that efforts to control violence and crime in these neighborhoods are futile. According to statistics published by the U.S. Department of Justice, African Americans are disproportionately represented in incarceration rates. Among men, blacks are about six more times as likely to be admitted to prison during their life. Based on current rates of incarceration an estimated 7.9% of black males compared to 0.7% of white males will enter State or Federal prison by the time they are age 20. Also, Lower income households were more likely than higher income households to experienceShow MoreRelatedRacial Profiling by Police Essay1259 Words   |  6 Pages    There are many types of racism in America that cause people to make accusations against law enforcement for discrimination. One type of racism is racial profiling. It is a strategy that encourages police officers to stop and question minorities only because of their race. It takes place in a variety of routine police encounters. Unmotivated searches occur everyday among the minority groups. Could you imagine waking up and being scared to walk outside your house because of the color ofRead More Racial Profiling by Police Essay1502 Words   |  7 Pagesof our lives, including media, culture, and even the legal system. The police are there to protect and serve the community. Racial profiling has prevented police from serving all the community, because in their minds it has been segregated. This has often been disregarded while in reality, racial profiling has corrupted society’s perception of groups of people, especially in law enforcement. On our nations highways, police ostensibly looking for thugs and criminals routinely stop drivers basedRead MorePolice Brutality And Racial Profiling1343 Words   |  6 PagesThe use of police brutality and racial profiling is an unfortunate part of today’s society that needs to be addressed. Blacks are being stopped and searched by police officers in greater numbers compared to other races, and sometimes these situations escalate into violence. In the essay Blue On Black Violence: Freddie Gray, Baltimore, South Africa, the Quietism of Africana Christian Theology, author Darryl Scriven, a Philosophy professor at Florida AM University, reports th at, â€Å"CNN reported thatRead MoreRacial Profiling And The Police Force875 Words   |  4 Pagesthis nation we should fight for change in the police force, attempt to cease the embodiment of racial profiling, and support the efforts of those striving to bring about change. Many people might argue that the lack of training in the police force is more harmful to the officers than the effect it has on society. Leslie Pfeiffer mentions in her article â€Å"† that the Federal government devotes a shocking amount of money toward training, yet local police agencies are often left to fend for themselves†Read MoreEssay on Racial Profiling by Police1228 Words   |  5 Pages Racial profiling has become a severe obstacle in the U.S. today though most Americans know very little of this vital issue. Every day, people are being pulled over, harassed, and even killed for being of a certain race. There are new laws that politicians are trying to pass that promote racial discrimination. Racial profiling is immoral and does not increase public safety. Incarceration rates are a definite proof that racial discrimination occurs. â€Å"Incarceration rates in the United StatesRead More Racial Profiling by Police Essays929 Words   |  4 Pagesseizures†¦ (108). Under the Fourth Amendment the legal constraints placed on police and the rules they must follow for â€Å"Stop and Frisk† happened as a result of the â€Å"Terry v. Ohio â€Å"case (162). The constraints are that the police cannot stopped and frisk people without reasonable suspicion probable cause or a warrant. Before 1968 the police could search a suspect only if they had probable cause. After the Terry case the police may conduct a frisk search of a suspect’s outer clothing only if there wasRead MorePolice and Racial Profiling Essay2724 Words   |  11 Pages Can we stop the unjust practice of racial profiling? Is it correct for Police Officers to stop a black driver for an alleged traffic offense to question and sometimes search the black driver? These questions provoke the need to understand racial profiling and racism along with what problems are involved and the possible solutions. Doesnt the use of race make sense? Isnt it really just good police work? The guarantee to all persons of equal protection under the law is one of the most fundamentalRead MorePolice Brutality And Racial Profiling1902 Words   |  8 PagesPolice brutality refers to the intentional utilization of vituperations or extortionate force directed towards a country s citizens by the police force. This extortionate force may be physical or in form of psychological dauntingness. Police brutality is highly evident in many countries all over the world especially in the news where such cases are reported. It is optically discerned as a form of police malfeasance which involves sexual abuse, police corruption, erroneous apprehends, racial profilingRead MoreRacial Profiling And The Police Force1951 Words   |  8 PagesIn modern day society, the police force is meant to safeguard the lives of those they serve, to eliminate crime, to ensure public safety, and to do so in an honorable fashion. They are meant to be respected and trusted by those they potentially protect. Children often looked at them as modern day superheroes. At some point however, something changed and the neighborhood hero transformed into the villain. What happens when the ones people reach out to in a time of distress become the ones causingRead MorePolice Brutality And Racial Profiling Essay2484 Words   |  10 PagesPolice Brutality and Racial Profiling Police Brutality is defined as the use of excessive force by police officers when they encounter civilians. Police officers are defined as people who are responsible for the prevention of crime. Brutality is defined as, â€Å"savage, physical violence.† Police brutality has been alive and well for many years, but a majority of the cases had been recently. Dating back to the times of the Civil Rights Movement and even before, minorities have been treated with little