Racial Profiling Versus Criminal Profiling Is There a Difference - Free Essay Example

Racial profiling is the act of linking certain ethnic groups to criminal activity. America is known as a melting pot or salad bowl, America is a country mixed with many cultures and people. Racial profiling has been used in America as an unjust mean of arresting, incarcerating and murdering black men in America. Racial profiling is an ever-rising concern in the U.S. African Americans have been subjected to mass incarceration, racial profiling by police and unjustified killing based upon their ethnicity. Racial profiling is an issue and a point of interest that many activist and civil rights groups condemn. In the U.S. racial profiling is an accepted practice by law enforcements. Although racial profiling is illegal and violates the 4the amendment of the constitution, this practice is still promoted in law enforcement. Law enforcement and the criminal justice system will deny this claim and say that they are not racial profiling, but that law enforcement is acts on a suspects behavior and not their ethnicity. This paper will focus on the effect racial profiling has on African Americans. There are many people who believe that racism is a thing of the past which is not fully correct. During slavery many African Americans were racially profiled when they were being hunted down by white salve hunters. When allowed off of their plantations they would be required to carry around documentations or a letter showing proof that they had been allowed to run an errand. This allowed them to avoid being harassed, beaten or at worse killed. After slaver had been abolished many African Americans were still subjected to racial profiling, even more so when African Americans stood up for equal treatment and opportunity. In America during the civil rights movement it did not matter whether African Americans were free, they were made to live in world with segregation and unjust laws. Many African Americans lived in constant fear because of these laws which openly allowed society to freely discriminate against them for the sole reason as the color of there skin. Although slavery and s egregation are no longer around , racial profiling is. For example the case of Trayvon Martin, a young African American teen who was killed by George Zimmerman. Trayvon Martin was killed unjustly. In reality Trayvon Martin was racially profiled and followed by George Zimmerman who was in charge of the neighborhood watch. George Zimmerman has be warned not to follow or confront Trayvon by 911 dispatchers but ignored there orders and ultimately confronted Trayvon which led to Trayvons death. The truth of Trayvons death is that he was racially profiled, a young African American man wearing a hoody and looking out of place and was instantly assumed to be up to no good and guilty of committing some crime. Trayvon is one of many victims who has been a victim of racial profiling. Some believe that recent cases of racial profiling are new or have just resurfaced . However that is not the case, from slavery until now racial profiling has been consistent. It has been documented that racial profiling has been hidden in legal practices and laws. For example the criminal justice system. There are no written laws against or preventing racial profiling, so it has become a known practice that allows inequality. It has been documented that people of color are stopped by law enforcement at a higher percent than non people of color. The criminal justice system is an institution aimed at punishing people of color more aggressively than people of non color. Although there are no laws in place to end racial profiling, many African Americans rights are violated as they do not have equal protection of the law. The 14th amendment affirmed the citizenship of African Americans and equal protection, the right to life and liberty property and due process. In Ending Racial Profiling of African Americans in The Elective Enforcement of Laws by F. Weatherspoon discusses how African Americans feel that the justice system is not there to help as well as feeling that their constitutional rights have been violated by the practice of racial profiling that is in place and accepted. Furthermore, the article goes into detail on how all levels of government, civil rights groups, communities and law enforcement a handling racial profiling. Racial profiling has caused many effects on African Americans such as Mass incarceration, Racial profiling by law enforcement homicide by law enforcement. In the Journal entry by Nick, Zack (2015). White Privilege and black rights: The injustice of U.S. Police racial profiling and homicide it is reported that racial profiling by law enforcements leads to higher incarceration rates among black men as well as increase in killings of unarmed black men by the police. Zack also writes and gives details on how White privilege correlates to racial profiling.