Arguments Against Racial Profiling

According to the National Institute of Justice, there is evidence to support the idea that people of color are more likely to get pulled over in a traffic stop than Caucasians. Within the last decade racial profiling has become a very controversial issue. Many incidents involving police shooting people of color has caused individuals to take a stand against racial profiling. There is increasing evidence that law enforcement officials use this practice. Some would argue that it is okay for police to use this tactic as long as it keeps dangerous criminals off the streets. Others would argue that it is extremely unfair to target certain ethnic groups because they may be more likely to commit crimes. In this essay, I will address racial profiling,

This means that law enforcement is more likely to stop or pull over an individual if they are Muslim, black, or Hispanic. The police are more likely to suspect a certain individual of a crime, if they are not white. Racial profiling is categorizing people according to what ethnic group they belong to. Many would classify this as stereotyping these people. The groups against racial profiling argue that law enforcement officials seek to find probable cause of a crime, even if there is none. The law enforcement say that this is necessary to keep law-abiding citizens safe in this country. They use terrorist acts as an example of why it is necessary for law enforcement officials to keep a close eye on anyone who may seem suspicious. I understand why it may be important, but it has led to many problems in the United States including distrust of police

This leads to serious mistrust and disrespect of police officers. Within the last few years, there have been multiple police shootings of minorities. Some believe that many of these shootings were unjustified and has led to violent protests in certain cities. It has also led to the Black Lives Matter movement. It is understanding why individuals become upset with law enforcement when they are constantly reminded of these incidents where minorities are shot and killed by police officers. I believe most police officers just want to keep the public safe, but I understand why some individuals do not trust law enforcement. I do think African Americans do have a legitimate concern, because there are facts that prove that racial profiling is a reality and this group is most likely to be the target. A website called the guardian, presented numbers of how many people have been killed by the police in 2016. The total number was 1093. I have studied about the case in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In this case, there was a black man who put his hands up and a female, white, police officer shot and killed him. There was a video of the accident that got released, and this really made the police look bad. The police woman said that she was sure he was going to pull a gun on her, but after he was killed, it was discovered that he was unarmed. In this situation, I believe the police woman should have tried