I disagree with Levin. I believe that being judged because of skin color in any situation should be considered as racism. If “police use deadly force only when they are threatened by a suspect,” how would one explain the famous Amadou Diallo, incident? Was deadly force necessary? Was Diallo threatening the police when reaching into his pocket for his wallet when asked for identification? Did he deserve to be shot at forty-one times as if he were a wild animal? This is just one example of how police excessively abuse their power when dealing with minority suspects. I think that Amadou Diallo, who was a mistaken identity suspect, did not deserve to be shot at forty-one times. No one should, he is a human being and is someone's son, father, brother etc. Police should use better precautions in dealing with minorities’ suspects.
Another aspect of racial profiling is, police targeting minorities for traffic stops. According to the New Jersey attorney general, seventy- seven percent of the drivers stopped and searched by state police are Black or Hispanic, but only thirteen point five percent of motorists on the state’s highway are Black and Hispanic (U.S., Today). Levin however believes that “Racial profiling is a perfectly proper response to what even the staunchest libertarian will regard as criminal. Blacks commit a disproportionate amount of all forms of violence against persons and poverty” (Levin, Pg.2). Yes, I agree that blacks commit a disproportionate amount of crime, but blacks only make up thirteen percent of the United States population. For example, blacks make up thirty five percent of drug arrests (U.S., Today) so who are the other sixty- five percent of suspects who are arrested with drugs? The majority of the United States population is white; therefore, it is only fair that the majority of drivers who are pulled over in traffic stops should be white people. Do police have the right to assume some one is a criminal because one is Black?
Another aspect of racial profiling is the suspiciousness aroused in police because of the race or ethnicity of a suspect. The possibility that police readily pursue individuals because of their color also increases concerns about unequal applications of the law and police harassment and abuse of minorities (Roleff, pg.1). Levin states, “ They [the police] are more suspicious of a black than they would be of a white in identical circumstances…driving oddly on the highway, being out in the wee hours…and it is perfectly reasonable for them to do so.” Why? Because they both choose to drive on the road recklessly and should be judge based on their actions. While there are certain actions that invite suspicion, the police should look at a person’s action not skin color.
Innocent, law-abiding minorities suffer when police judge them by their appearance and not their actions. For example, a Black dentist, Elmo Randolph, was pulled over by police on the New Jersey turnpike more than fifty times between 1991 and 1999. He was never given a ticket or cited for erratic driving. Instead, Randolph reports, an officer would approach his BMW, request his license and registration, and ask if he had any drugs or weapons in the car. Randolph states that the only reason he has been stopped so often is because police are suspicious when they see a black man driving an expensive car! He asks, “Would they pull over a white middle-class person and ask the same question?” (Roleff, Pg.2). This situation is an explicit example of generalization and the harassment by police officers of an innocent and respected man because of the color of his skin.
The United States is the land of freedom; opportunity and we are a divers nation. In spite of that racism still exists, and remains a serious problem today. Racial prejudice or racism should not remain a central problem confronting the United States today. We are all human beings of God’s creation and should learn to accept each other. Everyone should be treated equally at all times and in all situations. We need each other to make the country a better place for everyone to live in.
Works Cited
Levin, Michel "The Police Are Not Racist." Opposing Viewpoints: Police Brutality. (01-04) Opposing View Points. 29 September 2003 http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/OVRC?c=21&ste=17&docNum=X3010156218&bConts=75&txb=Police+Brutality&tab=1&vrsn=1.0&slb=FT&tbst=ts_basic&srchtp=basic&fail=0&locID=newpaltz.
Tamara L. Roleff “Preface to ‘ Is Racism a serious Problem’. ” Opposing Viewpoint: Race Relations. (01-03.) Opposing View Points. 29 September 2003. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/OVRC?c=10&ste=18&docNum=X3010057105&bConts=75&txb=Race+Relations&tab=2&vrsn=1.0&slb=FT&tbst=ts_basic&srchtp=basic&fail=0&locID=newpaltz
U.S., Today “Trend in Black-White Relations in the United States 2001” Opposing Viewpoint: Race Relations. (01-03.) Opposing View Points. 29 September 2003. http://www.gallup.com/specialReports/pollSummaries/sr010711.asp [accessed June 28, 2002
