Racism is a topic that most people refuse to discuss. Some would rather believe that racism is a thing of the past and that it does not exist in today’s society. The truth of the matter is that racism has and probably will always exist in this country. Many people have heard the term “racial profiling,” or the phase “driving why black. ” For many African Americans racial profiling is a form of racism.
Racial profiling is also a reality most African Americans will face daily.African American males learn all too quickly or early on in life that they might be subjected to be harassed by law enforcement not because they did anything wrong, but because of the color of their skin. What is racial profiling? According to Piquero and Reitzel (2006) racial profiling is the alleged law enforcement practice of using skin color as a pretext to stop, question, or search minorities. Anytime people are stop unjustifiable because their skin color is not white that is nothing other than blatant racism at it worse.
Race relations among the African American communities and law enforcements have far too long been a relationship of distrust. African Americans have always believed that they were target of racism which meant that they were often mistreated, harassed, and often arrested because of their skin color. After slavery and still today in many communities, African Americans males are still being preyed upon and treated unfairly by a good deal of law enforcements. Things have improved since racial profiling was brought to the public eye not so many years ago, and since data was composed to see if racial profiling existed.
For many years the African American community especially black males has been crying out for help due to the unfair treatment and harassment they often received for no apparent reason other than being a black male. Even though there were numerous complaints from African American Leaders and the communities regarding police brutality, harassment, and unjustifiable false arrest, the government did nothing. Even after decades of complaining and public outcry from African Americans the government still allowed these types of tactics to exist without any intervention.Statistics shows that African American males are more likely to be stopped, harassed, search, and arrested more than any other minorities groups and especially more so than whites. African American males in their teens and early twenties are also more likely to be the target of police harassment and police brutality than any other race (Piquero & Reitzel, 2006).
Not all African Americans have distrust for the law enforcements. Some gladly welcome their presence into their communities and are glad to assist them in anyway possible.For a great deal of African American males their encounters with law enforcement have not always been a positive experiment. Many believed that they are the target of nothing other than racism.
That believes that they are single out only because their skin color happens to be black. When discussing the issue of racial profiling with males family members and friends earlier up in the week, they all shared their experiment and views regarding the issue. They all recall an era in their life where they themselves have been victims of racial profiling or driving while black.One expressed that he was pull over when he was leaving a friend house that happen to be white. The police told him the reason he was pulled over was because he was in the wrong neighborhood and wanted to know why he was there. Another one said that him and some friends was leaving a basketball tournament and was pulled over, and the policemen told them how they looked suspicious and wanted to know where they was coming from and where they going.
Another one was pulled over because he was in a luxury car and the policeman believed that the car might have been stolen.These men lived in different cities, but they all had one thing in which were being victims of racial profiling. Neither one received a traffic violation. Some would argue that racial profiling is justifiable because African American males committed more crime than any other racial group in America, and if profiling help decreases the overall crime rate it should be acceptable. Lets take that argument to be true for a moment. What if African Americans males committed more crime than any other racial group does that give law enforcements the right to stop all African Americans males solely because they are African Americans?Does it give them to right to stop anyone because they perceived the person to be up to no good? What type of message, perception, or long-term effect wills that have on African American children especially young males.
Does anyone even care? According to Lippert-Rasmussen (2006) if it was not for racial profiling 1) There would be more crime against European Americans, 2) African American they would also have more crime committed on them as well. The writer suggests that African Americans are partially responsible for the crime from which they suffer.He also point out again that if racial profiling help reduce the crime rate at any level, that African Americans should gladly accept the small inconveniences that one might suffer. However, the writer does point out the discriminatory practices and the inequality treatment that African American receives and how European Americans are part to blame but are failing in trying to eliminate those practices (Lippert-Rasmussen, 2006). The writer often refers to crime that is committed by African Americans to other African Americans as “black on black crime.
If there is indeed such a thing as “black on black crime,” then other crime should label “white on white crime,” and “Hispanic on Hispanic crime” since every race commit crime upon each other. There will never be a justifiable reason where “racial profiling” will ever be accepted or where it will help benefit the people who are being targeted. Unless one is African American or an African American male a person will never know what it is like to be subjected to that type of treatment. They will never know the fear or the embarrassment that comes along with being the target of racism.Racial profiling has never helped anyone in the African American community or has it given African American males any sense of pride about themselves.
What it has shown black males is that racism is more prevalent in this society today as it was before the Civil Rights Movement. If whites males were harassed and the target of “racial profiling,” we would not be discussing this issue today. African American males have for the most part have had a disadvantage in the United States that stemmed back from slavery. Some will agree against that statement and some will agree.
Looking at history of this country and the amount of racism that have existed and still existed today it a miracle that the black man is still standing. This country has done any and everything to destroy the black males, and racial profiling is just another deploy to do so. In 1997 research was done in the state of Maryland along Hwy I-95 to see how prevalent racial profiling was. Data showed that during the 21 day of observation that 5,741 stops were made. The findings showed that 17. 5% of those stopped were African Americans, 74.
% were whites, and that 5,354 were traffic violators.There were 823 searches conduct of which 80. 3% of those searched were African Americans and 19. 7% were whites. Even though there were more whites stopped during the 21 day observation there were more blacks who had their vehicles searched (Piquero & Reitzel, 2006).
Why was that? Another case study on racial profiling that was done in New York City off of UF-250 during January 1, 1998 and April 1, 1999 showed that African American comprised 50% of those stopped even though they are only 25% of the city population.There have been numerous studies that have shown that African Americans are more likely than whites to be stopped, searched, and arrested. The studies also showed that African American males between the ages of 23 and 49 years of ages are 2. 5% more likely than white to receive traffic citation when being stopped than whites (Piquero & Reitzel, 2006). Racial profiling is not just limited to traffic stops or within the African American communities.
There is also a phrase that is common among African Americans, and that phrase is “Shopping While Black. Research has shown that African American is 10 times more likely than non-African Americans to be profiled in the retail establishments. A case study in the state of Florida showed that African Americans believed that they were treated unfairly than whites when shopping downtown and at shopping malls (Gabbidon & Higgins, 2007). African American know all to often what it is like to be follow around the retail establishments as if they are known criminals.
They have become accustomed to receiving poor or no service at all.Everyone has heard of the restaurant chain “Denny,” where African Americans claimed that they were treated unfairly by receiving poor or no service while trying to dine in their restaurants. African Americans filed a discrimination lawsuit against the chain which led to a multi-million dollar settlement. Other retailers like Dillard’s, Eddie Bauer, Lord and Taylor, and The Children Place has also been charged with engaging in discriminatory practices (Gabbidon & Higgins, 2007).In 2000 a study of the shopping experiences of 75 black residents in five African Americans neighborhoods in New York and Philadelphia found that black shoppers felted more comfortable when shopping in neighborhood establishments than outside of their communities. Although, African American males had a different approach on things; they felt they were treated with level of suspicious when shopping.
A research was conducted in an Atlanta, GA retail outlet to see what type of people shoplifted. Employees were told to follow shoppers who wore baggy clothes, and those who carried big purses and bags.Of the 1243 observed shoppers only 8. 5% shoplifted. Of those who shoplifted they found that African American and minorities were no more likely to shoplift than whites. The study found that the stereotyping of the African American males has led numerous of retailers to observe them over females and any other racial groups (Gabbidon & Higgins, 2007).
African Americans males often believe that they were either followed around when shopping or they were often ignored when looking for assistances.After watching a segment of 20-20 that was title “What Would You Do? They had three white teen male actors acting out in a local park in an exclusive white neighborhood where they were vandalizing a car. When people in the park saw these teens behavior most of them stopped and questioned the teens. Later on they added three African American teens’ actors and put them in a nearby car where they were to pretend to be sleeping. Not one 911 call went out regarding the three white teens doing the vandalizing but a call was made regarding three suspicious African American males sleeping in a park car.
Next 20-20 changed the situation and had the three African American males do the vandalizing, and almost immediately 911 calls went out. What these stories and studies show is that this country still has a problem with racism. There is no reason that in 2008 where a person should be singled out harassed, ignored, attacked, followed, or arrested only because their skin is black. Racism should be a thing of the past, but apparently it is here to stay. No one deserves to be followed, harassed, or stopped unjustly because they happen to be African American.
What happen to equality, the land of the free? How can people feel free when they are the target of racism, or when they are not free to go wherever they chose without having to explain to law enforcements why they are in this neighborhood or where they are going or where they are leaving. Racial profiling stills exist and people need to realize that racial profiling leaves an everlasting effect on the victims. Racial profiling is an experience they will never forget.
