Discrimination in law enforcement
Discrimination is the unfair treatment of a person because of their race, sexual orientation, sex, religion, etc. You see discrimination everywhere. You see it in jokes or comedy stand ups, you see it in movies, and you especially see it in our history. But what happens when discrimination can cause a person to be pulled over, searched, or questioned because of who they are or what they look like? According to amnesty.org, “Discrimination in law enforcement can mean that certain groups are viewed by the authorities as ''potential criminals'' and so are more likely to be arrested and imprisoned. It can also mean that they are more likely to suffer harsher treatment, possibly amounting to torture or other forms of ill-treatment, once in criminal justice system.” Discrimination in law enforcement is a big problem and is something people should be made aware of.
According to the Public Health Service, 70 percent of drug users are male 15 percent are black and 8 percent Latino. However, the Department of Justice reports that among the imprisoned for drug charges, 26 percent are white, 45 percent are black, and 21 percent are Latino. This means that blacks and Latinos are being looked at as criminals far before the average white American is in thought. D.W.B. (driving while black). This may sound a bit farfetched or ridiculous; but it’s real. According to Wikipedia, this concept stems from a long history of racism in the United States, United Kingdom, and other countries. In July 2009, a black man named Joel Debellefeuille was pulled over by Longueuil police because, according to reports, “his name did not match his skin tone.” He was also questioned as to if the car was even his.
Discrimination in law enforcement is getting minorities pulled over, searched, questioned, or even arrested just because of assumptions. It also causes police officers and other law enforcement officials to waste a bit of their time trying to find a particular race, gender, etc. When statistics show that racial profiling is true, it causes belief that all police officers are racist or are at least profilers. That could cause a dangerous rap for someone in an already very dangerous career. Racial profiling and discrimination in law enforcement is all around bad and something needs to be done. People that are not aware of this should become fully aware and those that do know should always take it in to consideration.