Unsafe by Racial Profiling
Nina Tran
Mr. Zibell
English 7-8
5 December 2012
Unsafe by Racial Profiling In a society where all are striving for fairness and equality, the idea of “racial profiling” is abhorring to those with a strong sense of independence and freedom, embracing what the Constitution has given them from the time of its birth. All those under the United States’ flag were given the ultimate rights to walk and drive outside without worrying about who may question their actions. However, this “racial profiling”, this discriminatory practice in the face of justice is threatening the strength of the Constitution and the unalienable rights naturally given to the people. Racial profiling should not be a custom practice to this society as it threatens the rights, trust, and even safety of the people of this nation. But the idea of racial profiling is extremely ambiguous and controversial. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), “‘Racial Profiling’ refers to the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual 's race, ethnicity, religion or national origin” (Racial Profiling: Definition). However, this definition can easily be dispersed into a number of directions and situations. Racial profiling can be justified, at least by the law enforcement officials, under the circumstances of which it was done. Examples of this include using race to identify members of a certain gang of a certain race that is selling illegal contrabands or members of a certain terrorist group. For this reason, racial profiling can be defended as a quick and effective way to hunt down those certain people for those crimes, all for the safety of the people. However, many supporters of racial profiling fail to realize the cons of this method. While it is for the intention of saving the people by catching criminals to prevent the crime before it is even committed, it cuts into the rights of the individual persons,
Mr. Zibell
English 7-8
5 December 2012
Unsafe by Racial Profiling In a society where all are striving for fairness and equality, the idea of “racial profiling” is abhorring to those with a strong sense of independence and freedom, embracing what the Constitution has given them from the time of its birth. All those under the United States’ flag were given the ultimate rights to walk and drive outside without worrying about who may question their actions. However, this “racial profiling”, this discriminatory practice in the face of justice is threatening the strength of the Constitution and the unalienable rights naturally given to the people. Racial profiling should not be a custom practice to this society as it threatens the rights, trust, and even safety of the people of this nation. But the idea of racial profiling is extremely ambiguous and controversial. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), “‘Racial Profiling’ refers to the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual 's race, ethnicity, religion or national origin” (Racial Profiling: Definition). However, this definition can easily be dispersed into a number of directions and situations. Racial profiling can be justified, at least by the law enforcement officials, under the circumstances of which it was done. Examples of this include using race to identify members of a certain gang of a certain race that is selling illegal contrabands or members of a certain terrorist group. For this reason, racial profiling can be defended as a quick and effective way to hunt down those certain people for those crimes, all for the safety of the people. However, many supporters of racial profiling fail to realize the cons of this method. While it is for the intention of saving the people by catching criminals to prevent the crime before it is even committed, it cuts into the rights of the individual persons,
Cited: "Racial Profiling: Definition." American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU, 23 Nov. 2005. Web. 05 Dec. 2012. <http://www.aclu.org/racial-justice/racial-profiling-definition>. "Download Resources." American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU, 2004. Web. 05 Dec. 2012. <http://www.aclufl.org/take_action/download_resources/index.cfm>. Schmidt, Michael, and Eric Lichtblau. "Racial Profiling Rife at Airport, U.S. Officers Say." The New York Times. The New York Times, 11 Aug. 2012. Web. 05 Dec. 2012.