1. Racial Profiling Aubrey Clark Sociology 2630-Race and Ethnicity

2. Table Of Content Reflection Page The Three Faces of Racial Profiling NFL Arrests

3. Reflection Page-Before For our e-portfolio project we were assigned to look at some form of racism in today’s society. The topic I chose to look into more is racial profiling; the reason being that I feel like I have been profiled. One time I was driving my car, minding my own business and obeying the laws when a police officer pulled me over; turns out he pulled my aunt over just a week before and we drive cars that look very similar. Now I know this is just one example that ended okay, but there are some instances where it is not and turns out harmful for the people being profiled. There are people who every time they go outside they are being profiled and it doesn’t necessarily matter which race they belong to. People from the Middle East go anywhere and they are looked at as terrorists, Mexican’s are going to steal something, and blacks are going to start causing problems with violence. They are all stereotypes, but that is how some people see these races. It is sad that people are that shallow, they won’t attempt to get to know a person they can just tell by the color of their skin. Just because there is one bad apple in the group doesn’t make them all bad and we should all take the time to get to know people before we judge them. I am interested in learning more about racial profiling and making people more aware that this is out there. People don’t want others to judge them, but they are so quick to judge somebody else and I want them to think twice before they judge another.

4. The Three Faces of Racial Profiling The article that I read was put out by American Civil Liberties Union, they bring up that racial profiling targets people of color and that it goes against every oath that police officers take when they first go into office. It also talks about how racial profiling has increased since September 11, 2001 and started to affect more people. The article also discusses that in Arizona they signed a law that requires police officers to stop anybody on “reasonable suspicion” that they think may be in the country illegally and ask to see their papers. https://www.aclu.org/racial-justice/racial-profiling

5. NFL arrests USA today put out an article that talks about a black man getting into his car after being told it was parked illegally; the officer thought he was trying to avoid a parking ticket and told him to stop. The man turned out to be an NFL player and when he got out of the car he was stunned by a stun gun. The man’s attorney put out that he was only tased because he was “a big black man” and it had nothing to do with their safety. The article also discusses that blacks are arrested ten times more than whites in the NFL. This is a national issue and it affects more than just people in the NFL. http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20131129/NEWS/131 129003/USA-Today-probe-Black-NFL-players-arrested- nearly-10-times-often-whites http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20131129/NEWS/131 129003/USA-Today-probe-Black-NFL-players-arrested- nearly-10-times-often-whites

6. NFL arrests graph From this graph you can see the arrest rate in the NFL alone. 260 blacks have been arrested compared to the 28 white players.

7. Shootings in New York These statistics were taken the first half of 2013, black people were the most people being shot. However, they were also the highest percentage being arrested for shooting someone. You can see why racial profiling seems like it would work out well; but, it doesn’t mean that all people of that race are bad.

8. Racial Profiling By Karen S. Glover In Racial Profiling, Karen Glover looks at the process of racial profiling. She looks at race and the law and how things influence each other. She pays particular attention to traffic stops and how the minorities are the ones that are being stopped and harassed. This book helped me realize that this is a serious issue and it affects a lot of people’s lives. I agree with Glover, this affects people and how they respond to society and it really shouldn’t be this way.

9. Works Cited American Civil Liberties Union. n.d. 30 November 2013. Glover, Karen S. Racial Profiling: Research, Racism, and Resistance. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009. Right Wing News. 20 November 2013. 30 November 2013. USA Today. n.d. 30 November 2013.

10. Reflection Paper- After research From doing the research I have honestly seen that racial profiling is a serious issue, and even though it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal it can be. Some of it is harmless, but for the most part it is harmful and it makes people insecure to go out in public. The rates of racial profiling are crazy, the people that it seems to affect the most are Middle Easterners and African Americans; all because the color of their skin. I knew that racial profiling happened but I didn’t realize that it was this big of an issue. I feel like living in Utah it isn’t as bad as other places, like New York. I learned that in Arizona they have passed a law that if a police officer believes that somebody has crossed over the border and they might be illegal, they have the right to pull you over and ask to see your citizenship papers. It would be so hard to go through life feeling like you have to prove yourself every day, when in actuality you have gone through all of the steps to become a citizen. Seeing all of the information about racial profiling just breaks my heart; people didn’t ask for this lifestyle. They were just given it, because of the race of their parents and there isn’t much that they can do about it. However, I personally believe that the media has influenced the way that we feel towards other races, and I think the only thing we can do to minimize it is to teach our children that there are good and bad people of every race.