By Jeff Arnett

1
Racial Profiling

• By Jeff Arnett
• Sec 23

2
Definitions

• Racial profiling is a form of racism consisting
  of the policy of policemen who stop and search
  vehicles driven by persons belonging to
  particular racial groups.
• 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.
• Government activity directed at a suspect or
  group of suspects because of their race

3
Examples

• The targeting of Arabs and Muslims since the
  attacks on September 11th.
• The term Driving while black, which refers to
  the practice of police targeting African
  Americans for traffic stops because they believe
  that African Americans are more likely to be
  engaged in criminal activity.

4
Dangers of racial profiling

• When law enforcement officials focus on race they
  cast too wide a net, making it more likely that a
  criminal who does not "fit the profile" will go
  unnoticed.
• Despite its newfound popularity, the real battle
  for equal protection and justice under the law
  has been quietly raging across American
  courtrooms for decades, and it is a battle that
  people of color continue to lose. Sooner or
  later, these people will take matters into their
  on hands.

5
Examples of these dangers

• Example 1
• After the bombing a federal building in Oklahoma
• City in 1995, the two white male assailants were
• able to flee while officers reportedly operated
  on
• the initial theory that 'Arab terrorists' had
• committed the attacks.

6
Examples of these dangers

• Example 2
• In 2003, reportedly as an act of civil
  disobedience,
• a white college student from Maryland smuggled
• box cutters, bleach, matches, and an item with
  the
• same consistency of plastic explosives onto six
• airplanes. Later, he said that he was able to
  pass
• through airport security multiple times because
  he
• did not "fit the profile".

7
Examples of these dangers

• Example 3
• During the 2003 sniper attacks in the D.C. area,
• the police were looking for a white man acting
• alone (the standard profile of a serial killer).
• Meanwhile, the African-American man and boy
• who were and convicted for the crimes were able
• to pass through multiple roadblocks with the
• alleged murder weapon in their possession.

8
This chart shows the percentage of times a
certain race is stopped and what percentage of
these stops leads to a car being searched or
someone getting arrested.
9
References

• American Civil Liberties Union. 15 Aug.2005. The
  ACLU and the ACLU Foundation. 7 Apr. 2007.
  lthttp//www.aclu.org/racialjustice/racialprofiling
  /19901res20050815.html/gt
• Ethnic Majority. 2004. NAACP 7 Apr. 2007.
  lthttp//www.ethnicmajority.com/racial_profiling.ht
  m/gt
• Amnesty International USA. 2007. 7 Apr. 2007
  lthttp//www.amnestyusa.org/Racial_Profiling/Questi
  ons_and_Answers_on_Racial_Profiling/page.do?id110
  6651n13n2850n31298/gt
• Racial profiling and the Fourth Amendment. 7 Apr.
  2007 lthttp//bc.edu/bc_org/avp/law/lwsch/journals/
  bctwj/21_2/02_TXT.htm/gt