Politics Paper

Kelechi Ononiwu Professor Seifert

ENG 002 Sec 24

24 November 2014

Are all Americans Valued the Same? : A Look at Racial Profiling in America

“Do we arrest criminals or do we arrest people who have committed criminal acts?” – Adam P. Hunter. Adam Hunter is Defense Attorney who is Howard graduate and runs a private practice in Washington DC. He recently came into a national government class and asked this question when giving a hypothetical arrest situation. A black 35 year old male was stopped, searched, and arrested because he was walking on the street at 2am. Now the male did have drugs on him but what if he did not? These two questions raised a debate about the culture of law enforcement in America and whether the law really protects against racial profiling. Racial profiling, as defined by the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), is 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 in the realm of law enforcement should not be used in catching people who commit criminal acts. It is morally wrong in a society that still struggles with racism, it is not effective as it seems even though it is blatantly used, and it violates a citizen’s Constitutional right. The end result of does not justify the means.

Even before the creation of this nation, there has been a struggle with racism not only in America but in the world. When enslaved Africans first came to the colonies, they were viewed as property until the 13th Amendment freed them. Even so, life for African-Americans did not get easier as they were a part of a society that was racially unequal. Today, it is safe to say that racism is still alive and relevant. With a society that still has racism in it, the people who citizens trust to...