Trayvon Martin: The Reality Of Racial Profiling

Imagine an African American teenage boy walking through an affluent, mostly white neighborhood and a man begins to chase him. Naturally, the boy begins to run and ask why he is being followed. Without an answer as to why he is being followed, he is then tackled, shot, and killed. This story reflects the true life account that took place in 2012 between Trayvon Martin, the African American boy, and George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch patrol. Zimmerman’s reasoning for following Martin, and eventually killing him, was that he looked “suspicious” and seemed dangerous (“Trayvon Martin Shooting,” 2015). The story of Trayvon Martin is one of thousands that take place everyday and is an example of racial profiling. Racial profiling is defined as the targeting of particular individuals by law enforcement based on personal characteristics, like race, religion, or ethnicity (“Reality of Racial
In terms of motorists, in 2005 Black drivers were three times more likely to be stopped and searched by police than Whites, and were twice as likely than White drivers to be arrested during a traffic stop (“Reality of Racial Profiling”). These findings demonstrate that police are more likely to target people of color than Whites and case studies have shown that this practice is counterproductive and a misallocation of law enforcement resources. For example, in Arizona although Black motorists were more likely than Whites to be stopped and searched, Whites who were searched were more likely to be carrying contraband (“Reality of Racial Profiling”). The case study in Arizona exemplifies a problem in the criminal justice system that must be addressed. Minority motorists are more likely than White motorists to be stopped and harassed by police based off the inherent belief that people of a minority race, ethnicity, or religion are more likely to engage in criminal or unlawful activity than