Racial Profiling In Law Enforcement

Words: 850
Pages: 4

Contemporary Issues Research Paper There are many contemporary issues in the world of law enforcement, but there's one in particular that stands out among the rest: racial profiling. Across decades, it's been revealed to many how people of color are stopped, arrested, and killed at a significantly higher rate by police than their white counterparts. The pervasive issue of racial profiling greatly affects the relationship between the community and law enforcement, as protests and anti-police demonstrations pop up constantly. Emphasizing the need for accountability within the criminal justice system. The dilemma of racial profiling by law enforcement is exemplified prominently in California traffic stops. Despite only 6.5% of the population being …show more content…
It was reported that Floyd had allegedly paid for his cigarettes with a counterfeit bill. This prompted the police to confront Floyd. In an initial claim, officers had stated that Floyd appeared to be under the influence and that he seemed to be suffering from "medical distress". Their statement lacked substantially crucial details, in which later video evidence showed that not only was Floyd forced out of his car without explanation as to what was happening, but forcefully shoved into the back of a police car. Upon refusal, Floyd was forcefully pinned down under the knee of an officer for over 8 minutes. Not too long after, Floyd was pronounced dead at a hospital near Minneapolis, according to the New York Times. Though it was argued that Floyd had died from a drug overdose as traces of fentanyl and other drugs were found during his autopsy, these claims were quickly overruled as the medical examiner had concluded that his death was a homicide via the means of cardiopulmonary arrest (MARCELO). Soon after the violent and fatal encounter, protests broke out upon the streets of Minneapolis, which quickly spread around the country as what seemed like every news station was …show more content…
Substantial amounts of people began generalizing police in its entirety as racists. Additionally, this generalized assumption was greatly amplified when police around the country began mishandling the Black Lives Matter protests. Police used tear gas, rubber bullets, and bean bags to break up crowds, which had caused many to lose any and all respect for all of those in law enforcement, Maxouris said. Generally speaking, the case of George Floyd is one that can demonstrate to many how police and community relationships nationwide can be affected by the actions of a few police officers. Furthermore, proving that regardless of how some officers may spin it, you always have your constitutional rights to remain silent and the right against cruel and unusual punishment. In addition, another case that demonstrates how racial profiling affects the relationship between law enforcement and the community is the case of Brionna Taylor. On March 13th of 2020, police obtained a no-knock search warrant to search the apartment of Brionna Taylor. The reason being because her boyfriend was an ex-drug trafficker and it had been thought that Taylor's apartment was used to hide narcotics or