Racial Profiling Across America Today .
In California, two young black men were pulled over by Santa Monica police officers in the garage of the hotel they were staying in. They were pulled from their car, cuffed, and separated into two patrol cars while their vehicle was searched. After a couple of hours they were let go with an explanation from police that they fit the description of some robbery suspects. In Florida, a black man was pulled over by 2 Orange County deputies. He was pulled from his car, thrown to the ground, pepper sprayed and arrested. He had been pulled over for an illegal lane change and illegible license plates. He was an off duty Miami-Dade police officer. "One of the most famous recent cases of DWB (driving while black) involves Johnny Gammage, the first cousin of professional football player Ray Seals of the Pittsburgh Steelers" (Burris,96). Seven minutes after being pulled over in his cousin's new Jaguar, he was dead. Suffocated by 5 Pittsburgh police evidently because he was black. These incidents are considered forms of Racial Profiling, which is defined as the systematic traffic stopping and interrogating of suspects based solely on their skin color. Racial profiling primarily affects African-Americans and Hispanics. This profiling is racism pure and simple and even though certain crime fighting statistics show it is a successful tool, it is a violation of people's rights and should be stopped.
Law enforcement officials feel that if a disproportionate amount of crime is committed by a certain race, then they deserve a larger percentage of attention from law .
enforcement. Real racial profiling is unconstitutional. With over 1500 traffic laws on the books today, it is easy and legal for officers to find a reason to implement a traffic stop.
based on color. Racial profiling has been responsible for the detention and harassment of thousands of truly innocent black and Hispanic people.
