Racial Profiling
of African, Hispanic (Latino), and Asian Americans
From the
Blog
So here’s the latest example of a
shocking racial profiling incident that wouldn’t have made the
news except that it happened to a celebrity, in this case an NFL
running back named Ryan Moats. According to the
Dallas Morning News, Moats was rushing to a local hospital
with his wife to be at the bedside of her dying mother when he
was pulled over at the entrance to the hospital by a police
officer for running a red light. Moats tried to explain the
situation, but the cop insisted that he find his insurance card
or he would have the car towed. Nurses from the hospital and
another cop even tried to plead his case to no avail. Twenty
minutes later the incident was over, but too late. Moats’
mother-in-law had died. Fortunately Moats’ wife ignored the
cop’s orders and went to her dying mother’s bedside anyway and
was able to comfort her before she passed.
For most Americans, we take for granted that we will be
treated with respect and dignity by law enforcement because they
are after all public servants. Unfortunately some of us are
treated like criminals without being given an iota of the
benefit of the doubt.
The most common example of police racial profiling is
"DWB", otherwise known as "driving while black". This refers to the
practice of police targeting African Americans for traffic stops because
they believe that African Americans are more likely to be engaged in
criminal activity.
While racial profiling is
illegal, a 1996 Supreme Court decision allows police to stop motorists and
search their vehicles if they believe trafficking illegal drugs or weapons.
More traffic stops leads to more arrests, which further skews the racial
profiling statistics against African Americans. Studies have
shown that African Americans are far more likely to be stopped and searched.
Are African Americans really committing more crimes or are they just caught
more often because the police target them? This is a vicious cycle
that even the strictest law enforcement advocates would admit is patently
unfair.
What can you do if you are stopped? Civil rights
attorneys advise the following:
Know your rights: you are not required to give permission to police officer to
search your car. You can deny the request - but do so politely.
Don't argue: the police may try to intimidate you. Do not be confrontational
and provoke an argument.
Get the names of the officers: be sure to get their badge numbers, squad car
number, license plate number, and make a note of the location and time of day.
File a complaint if you feel you have been mis-treated: contact the ACLU or other
civil rights organizations for legal advice.
