Hamam, Zakariya

Professor Malcolm Campbell

UWRT 1103
December 7, 2016
Racial Profiling and How it Affects Americans of Different Ethnicities
The Fourteenth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution reads: Section 1. All persons born
or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the
United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which
shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State
deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any
person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. (U.S.Constitution,amend.XIV).
The constitution is what we as people of the United States should live and adhere here
to. But the question becomes, do we really? Racial profiling is defined as any law enforcement
or private security practice in which a person is regarded as a suspect because of his or her race,
ethnicity, nationality or religious association. Racial profiling is a practice that presents a great
danger to the fundamental principles of our Constitution and has gone on for many years.
Profiling has become more evident in contemporary society and the groups affected have
broadened to include not only African Americans, but Hispanics, Latinos, and Muslims to name
a few. Racial Profiling has caused many citizens of the United States to live in fear and has
created a law enforcement system that casts entire communities as suspects (American Civil

Liberties Union 2005). Racial Profiling is unconstitutional and undermines an individuals civil
rights; therefore, racial profiling must be abolished as a practice used by our government in
protecting our country.
Racial Profiling has grown from the time of slavery to more recent times. Racial
Profiling is a problem that has affected many people in the past and still affects them in their
everyday lives today. If one is African American he/she is sometimes looked at as a criminal,
likewise for members of Islam, individuals are under suspicion of terrorism, and for those
individuals whom are Hispanic or Latino, they are viewed as being illegal aliens and involved in
the possession and distribution of drugs. In New York City, the December 1999 report of the
New York City Police Departments pedestrian "stop and frisk" practices by the state attorney
general provided interesting evidence of racial profiling in one of the nation's largest cities. 50.6
percent of the people stopped were black and they only comprised of 25.6 percent of the
population. 33 percent were Hispanics and they make up only 23.7 percent of the population.
Whites only make up 12.9 percent of the stops and comprise of 43.4 percent.
African Americans have been profiled for much of U.S. history based on the color of
their skin. On October 12, 1995 in Brentwood, Pennsylvania 31-year-old African American
Johnny Gammage was killed after being pulled over for driving his cousins Jaguar. One officer
claimed that Gammage was the one who initiated the conflict but a passing truck driver

witnessed one officer start the fight and the others join in kicking, hitting and clubbing
Gammage while he lay on the pavement. The three officers were tried for involuntary
manslaughter. They had their charges dismissed after two mistrials and the family of Gammage
settled for $1.5million (American Civil Liberties Union) The New York attorney generals office
shows that even though more blacks than whites were stopped and frisked for concealed
weapons, the arrest rate of whites for violations was actually higher (Harris 1). The state of New
Jersey conducted a survey and found that officers were unevenly stopping black drivers and
searching their cars. However, the findings showed that 25% of the white drivers stopped were
charged with drugs to the 13% of blacks (Nittle 1). The statistics are showing that just because
one is of a certain ethnicity, it does not automatically make one guilty of crimes. Many policy
statements by police officials and legislative bodies declaring the unacceptability of racial
profiling in police work have become evident.
The Bush administration developed a policy guidance on racial or ethnic profiling
forbidding its use in federal domestic law enforcement. The Justice Department policy states,
Stereotyping certain races as having a greater propensity to commit crimes is absolutely
prohibited. The only times in which domestic law enforcement officers may use race is when it
is being used to gather information as a part of interview with a witness or informant about a
certain crime (Blank 187-188). We must continue to adhere to the Justice Department guidelines
for banning the use of racial profiling in Federal Law Enforcement. This includes: routine patrol

duties must be carried out without consideration of race and stereotyping certain races as
committing more crimes is prohibited (Department of Justice 2-4). We as Americans cannot
accuse and convict people because of the color of their skin simply because this violates their
constitutional rights. Furthermore, racial profiling does not only look at the skin color of an
individuals but often makes assumptions based on ethnicity.
The Hispanic and Latino population is growing more and more by the day. These
individuals have come to America in search of a better life and to build a more stable future than
perhaps possible in their home countries. Many of them have followed all the regulations to be
here and want to become productive citizens in our communities thus contributing to our national
economy. However, due to a few bad seeds that dont go through the right process and come
illegally the majority of this ethnic group is being profiled and regarded negatively in our
society. In the case of Bonnie Castro, a Latino woman, who was held for forty minutes in the hot
sun with her small baby, while officers searched her car for illegal drugs. The officers said that
she had circled the block many times while a drug bust was occurring, however, this was proven
to be false. The time that had elapsed since she had left work was not enough time for this to
have happened. The officers, in truth, had no reason for searching her car (Mucchetti 1).
America is a nation that was brought to fruition in order to escape religious persecution and
should, therefore, embraces differences in matters of ethnicity, religious association, and skin
color.

In Orange County California, a database containing the names and photos of reputed
gang members appeared to have been racially profiled. 90 percent of the 22,000 men and women
in the database are of Latino, Asian, and African American descent. With this in mind, how can
racial profiling be an action that is allowed to continue in the United States?
Racial profiling is not only still an issue in modern society, but is actively growing
phenomenon amongst our population of people who feel that it is needed for safety and security.
After the devastating attack of September 11th, many who condemned racial profiling a year ago
have had second thoughts. In the fall of 1999, 81% confessed their disapproved of racial
profiling, and only two years later, 58% revealed they favored it requiring all, including those
who are U.S. citizens, to undergo special more intense security checks before loading airplanes
in the United States (Gross 1). After years of condemning racial profiling as one that demotes
civil rights, officials began to support it in order to fight terrorism. Muslims throughout the
United States were immediately targeted after September 11th. These individuals, were born
here, lived and built their livelihoods in the United States. Being a Muslim-American, I
experienced firsthand how the government started racially profiling individuals. My own family
faced difficulties with people who thought all Muslims were here to commit acts of terrorism.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation contacted many members of the Muslim community and
asked questions concerning their lives and what they had planned for their future. Everyone

understood the concern that was initiating these acts. However, there was no way to stop the
heinous profiling that was taking place.
Women who practiced covering for the religion became scared to go out due to the
negative view people had developed, as a consequence to the acts of terrorism that occurred on
September 11th. A young Muslim woman named Itemal Al Matar was arrested after being
accused as a terrorist for briskly walking out a city subway station on the Fourth of July last year
while wearing a backpack. She claims that the officers violated her civil rights by pulling off her
headscarf and later strip-searching her at the police station. A federal lawsuit was soon filed on
her behalf.
Individuals were being judged based on factors such as, their skin color, clothing,
names and religious beliefs. The true meaning of Dont Judge a Book by Its Cover was
definitely evident in situations such as those mentioned above. Racial profiling by the
government has led many citizens to use the similar tactics in dealing with Muslims on a day to
day basis. The news reported daily how Muslim-Americans were being looked at differently
after 9/11. Bruce Schneier , a security technologist and author of several books based on security
in our uncertain world said,
Terrorists dont fit a profile and cannot be plucked out of crowds by computers.
Theyre European, Asian, African, Hispanic, and Middle Eastern, male and female,
young and old.

The aftermath of 9/11 certainly caused many people to change their views on racial
profiling. The information that the individuals who had carried out this devastating act were of
the Middle Eastern descent made some individuals view of all Arabs as being bad people. This
is a natural reaction when an event like this occurs. On the other hand, we must work to put our
fear aside and realize that these individuals are still humans and they have the same fears. The
hope of all Americans is to ensure safety and security for the land and this is where the focus
should be. It should not rest on individuals from a certain area. The need is to develop a stronger
more accurate way of monitoring the security of our country and definitely is a concern.
However, it should be evident that racial profiling is not the answer. These events have shaken
our nation as a whole, nevertheless, we must hold fast to what our country stands for, which is
unity for all.
Michael German, a former FBI agent, who is policy counsel for the Washington
legislative office of the American Civil Liberties Union, quoted The governments plan to
subject citizens of certain countries to enhanced security does not fit the bill. It is a pretext for
racial profiling, which is both ineffective and unconstitutional. We need to direct resources to
investigations based on facts rather than bias. This showcases the rebellion from within the
U.S. government that is not supportive of such drastic measures.

America has always been regarded as the land of freedom and opportunity. The founding
fathers of the United States set the words of the constitution many years ago assuring all men the
right of equality and protection from being discriminated against based on race, religion,
ethnicity, and nationality. Many people of different races have arrived in America looking for
that dream but have been faced with the challenges of racial profiling. Are we really innocent
until proven guilty or guilty until proven innocent? Although the times have changed, we must
continue to observe our values and scruples highly, and be united as one. We are the melting pot
of the world and therefore, racial profiling in the United States must be abolished as a common
practice.

Work Cited
Blank, Rebecca M., Citro, Constance F., and Dabady, Marilyn. Measuring Racial
Discrimination.Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press, 2004. Print
Gross, Samuel R. and Livingston, Debra. Racial Profiling Under Attack. Columbia Law
Review June 2002: 1413-38. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Oct. 2012.
Hanley, Delinda C. It's Time to End Racial, Religious and Ethnic Profiling of Americans.
Washington Report on Middle Eastern Affairs June/July 2012: 27-28. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 8 Oct. 2012.
Harris, David. Profiles in Injustice: Why Racial Profiling Cannot Work. New York: New
Press, 2002. Print.
Hirschmann, Kris. Racial Profiling Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Print.
Johnson, Devon. Attitudes Toward the Use of Racial/Ethnic Profiling to Prevent Crime and
Terrorism Criminal Justice Policy Review. Dec. 2011: 422-447. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 7 Oct. 2012.
Fact Sheet on Racial Profiling. Department of Justice Washington D.C.: 2003.
Weitzer, R. and Tuch, S. A. Perceptions of Racial Profiling: Race, Class, and Personal
Experience Criminology May. 2002: 435-456. Wiley Online Library. Web. 10 Oct. 2012.

ACLU. "Racial Profiling: Definition." American Civil Liberties Union. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec.
2016.