Extra Blog: Racial Profiling

Racial profiling is defined as the use of an individual’s race or ethnicity by law enforcement personnel as a key factor in deciding whether to engage in enforcement. It has been the cause of many controversial court cases in the Untied States since the early 1700s when  Philadelphia’s court officials gave police legal authority to stop and detain any Negro, whether a freedman or a slave, seen wandering around on the streets.Slavery is the root of racial profiling in the U.S. because it is the root of racism in general, from grandfather clauses to the public whipping of disobedient slaves to the enforcement of the Jim Crow Laws. The negative consequences of racial profiling continue to be prominent in today's society; people who resemble the ethnicity of middle-eastern descent are much more likely to be stopped and searched at the air port than someone who looks American and Catholic, even though searches are meant to be non-discriminatory and ransom. In fact, despite the unfairness, the American public was much more likely to support racial profiling after the 9/11 plane crashes because they feared for their safety. American individuals of Islamic faith feared for their own lives as much as a Catholic did, but the availability heuristic prompts people to use their most vivid memory to judge people and objects, even entire races. Past precedents show that the killer, whether civilian or law enforcement, is not prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law because it was "accidental," or "rash," even though many could be prevented if more people were able to look past racial stereotypes and think before they act on a preconceived notion or idea of another individual based on race, religion, origin, etc.. The murders of both Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown are the very quintessence of the consequences of racial profiling.

Trayvon Martin was shot by neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman. Martin had gone to a convenience store and bought candy and juice. On his way back, Zimmerman called the police, reporting that he looked suspicious. The basis for his suspicion was likely due to racism, as he assumed that an African American teenager walking by himself at night was probably up to no good. However, Martin was armed with nothing but his candy and juice when the altercation occurred between the two, ending with Martin being shot in the chest and dying. At the time, Zimmerman's claim of self-defense (despite Martin's lack of a weapon) and the "stand your ground law" protected Zimmerman from arrest. He was eventually arrested and tried but was acquitted pf both second degree murder and manslaughter. In my opinion, Zimmerman should have been, at the very least, charged with manslaughter because he knowingly killed an unarmed teenager. The community and family of Martin were so outraged that protests and demonstrations broke out in the streets, raging at the easy release of Zimmerman. His parents began the Trayvon Martin Foundation to create awareness of how violent crime impacts the families of the victims, and the community continued to protest racial discrimination as a contribution to the murder. The Michael Brown case was not so different.

Michael Brown was shot by policeman Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri.  Independent witnesses say there  was a short altercation between Wilson and Brown before Brown was killed. According to Wilson, he tried to prevent Brown from reaching the trigger and when he thought he had control, he fired. However, Brown's hand was blocking the mechanism, and Wilson shot him several times at close-range. The autopsy reports that the bullets entered through Brown's back, suggesting that Wilson murdered Brown when he was very close, and when his back was turned. More than 50% of polled American suspect racism as the root of the conflict. The following attached video discusses the effects that racism may have on the jury of the controversial case, which includes three African Americans.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ferguson-case-racial-and-gender-makeup-of-grand-jury-revealed/

The cases of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown are not alone in having roots in racial profiling. Since the start of the end of slavery, racial profiling has been the cause of so many problems, death, and discrimination in the United States, from minor inconveniences, such as individuals with obvious middle-eastern descent being continuously stopped at airports, to much more tragic incidents, such as unarmed black teens being shot for looking too out of place. Racial profiling will continue to be a problem in our country until all traces of racism are diminished, if that's even possible.

Sources: cnn.com, cbsnews.com, wikipedia.com, nytimes.com