Racial Profiling

Racial Profiling Racial profiling is defined as discrimination put into action based on a stereotype. Racial profiling other older names are "institutional racism and discrimination and owes its existence to prejudice that has existed in this country since slavery" (anonymous par 3) . No one is excluded from the potential to experience some type of racial profiling, regardless of their race, gender, age, background or religion. Racial profiling has existed in different ways since slavery. During the rebuilding period of the South, the first sense of racial profiling began with "Black Codes". "Black Codes" were created to maintain a new form of slavery. These codes made it punishable by imprisonment for any African American who loitered, remained unemployed, drunk, or in debt. The "Black Codes" were a form of what we call racial profiling today. From a ruling class perspective, the minority groups are constantly undermined, intimidated, attacked, imprisoned, and sometimes shot and killed. These acts take place in order for the ruling class to maintain control and in most cases unjustly abuse their power against these minorities. Today, the most common form of racial profiling is done by the police and targeted toward African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans. It is otherwise known as "DWB", "driving while black" or "driving while brown" (St. Clair and Cockburn). This refers to the practice of police targeting African Americans and any other non-white groups at traffic stops because they believe that minorities are more likely to be engage in criminal activity. My first real public attention of racial profiling by the police happened two weeks ago, when the Nassau police pulled me over in long island. The officer look at my license and replied what am I doing out here, (being I had a non Nassau county address) I was told 2 get out of my vehicle with no specific reason. I was then give given and order to stand