Driving eastbound on highway 18 around 12:00 a.m., me and four other friends were targeted by the Iowa State Patrol. As they were enroute to my house, a state patrol car whipped around and followed us with the lights flashing brightly. Five teenagers early in the morning were prime targets. All of us fell victim to a police bust practiced throughout the nation by police officers.
This nasty police procedure is called racial profiling. With this tactic, everyone behind the wheel can be considered guilty. Racial profiling shows its ugly head today in America. Despite the civil rights victory 30 years ago, racial prejudice is still reflected throughout the criminal justice system. Any one person can fall victim to racial profiling. Many states nation wide have made this procedure illegal. The color of skin can be the most common area of racial profile to attack, but any race, ethnic group, religious followers, or age group can be subjected to racial profiling. Tens of thousands of innocent motorists on highways across the country are victims of racial profiling. And these discriminatory police stops have reached epidemic proportions in recent years – fueled by the “War on Drugs” that has given police a pretext to target people who they think fit a “drug courier” or “gang member” profile. We must put an end to the practice of racial profiling (ACLU).
The Essay on Benton Harbor Police Michigan State
Police line streets of Benton Harbor after nights of riots Residents outraged by deadly police chase Wednesday, June 18, 2003 Posted: 8: 57 PM EDT (0057 GMT) State and local police make their presence felt Wednesday in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Story Tools RELATED o Interactive: Benton Harbor riots o Map: Benton Harbor, Michigan o CNN Access: Mayor: Police relationship unkind to citizens VIDEO ...
When concerning the African American race, many people think that all they boil down to are a bunch of “gang bangers”, drug dealers, rappers, and athletes. Not all black people follow this suit. Just like any other race, there are always those bad seeds. There have been many successful black people who helped shape this country into what it has become. Countless role models have emerged from the dark shadows of the negative stereotypes that the blacks have portrayed over the years. Take Michael Jordan into consideration, his athletic ability took basketball to all new heights. He will go down in history as one of the best basketball players to dribble a basketball. Martin Luther King Jr. changed the way that people will look at his race. He led his people through the cicil rights movement. He influenced people to get past skin color and he will always be remembered for that. America also has black people who hold a political office. When President Bush came into office, he appointed Colin Powell as Secretary of State. Like I said before, not ever African American is just a rapper, “gang banger”, or athlete. They are human beings just like you and me. With the memory of September 11 fresh in everyone’s minds, the thought of people being discriminated often takes the backseat. Many Arab and Muslim Americans have paid the price for the attacks through racial profiling. Whether Americans want to admit it or not, deep down inside we all felt resentful towards that race; we all considered them to be a part of the attack against America. One need not be Nostradamus to see law enforcement changes in our future. Following the mass murders of September 11th, police at the national and local level have properly begun the process of developing strategies for detecting and apprehending terrorists. This just goes to show that racial profiling does exist (Colb).
It became clear that many of them were innocent, in fact, only a minute number of Arab and Muslims had a part in the attack. Society needs to keep an open mind when dealing with issues concerning people from all walks of life.
The Essay on Editorial On Drinking Alcohol People Teenagers
I walked into the house where the 'party of the century' was going to be held. I was psyched to be going. At the time I was a little naive freshman invited to my first official high school party at a senior's house. I was at the party no more than 30 minutes when this boy offered me a drink. Thinking nothing of it, I agreed. He brought back a half-filled cup. Before I took a sip, I recognized a ...
I know all teenagers can relate to harassment by police officers because of their age. Alcohol and teenagers have become almost inseparable in recent years. I am sure many teenagers have wondered if police follow them just because they are kids. In some cases it may be true, but not all police officers target teenagers during certain hours of certain days because of the possibility of them driving around and drinking. But it is a question you must ask yourself. Yes, it is illegal for teenagers to drink, but aren’t their rights being violated when cops target them because of the connection between teenagers and drinking. I recently talked with Garner’s police chief, Tom Kozizek; he implied that they do take into consideration on weekends when they see a car full of teenagers whether or not they may be drinking, but they do not go out of their way to follow them or pull them over on this suspicion. I am not saying that this happens, but I am asking people to take a closer look. Racial profiling is wrong.
Racial profiling does exist and it isn’t just happening with minorities. Racial profiling includes everyone. I am sure there are those situations where it can be helpful, but it does more harm than it does good. I am sure we as a society can come to other alternatives in cracking down crime and other aspects of life where police feel they need to use racial profiling.
