Jun 30th, 2009
Posted by Nicole Kief, ACLU Racial Justice Program at 11:53am	Immigrants' Rights, Racial Justice, Racial Profiling

Send Racial Profiling into Retirement

Think racial profiling — using a person's race, color, ethnicity or national origin to determine whether to stop, search or investigate him or her for alleged criminal activity — is wrong and ineffective? So do President Barack Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, former President George W. Bush, and former Attorney General John Ashcroft.

So why did the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD, the independent group of experts that oversees compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, a treaty the U.S ratified 15 years ago) "note with concern" that racial profiling "continues to be widespread" in the United States? Indeed, when reviewing the United States government's track record on racial discrimination, the Committee highlighted the persistence of racial profiling as an especially troubling issue.

A new report by the ACLU and the Rights Working Group shows just how pervasive the problem is. The report, submitted today to the Committee, includes information about racial profiling in 22 states and under a variety of federal programs. It tells the story, for example, of how the 287(g) program, designed to permit local police departments to enforce immigration law, has given police officers license to stop, question, harass and detain anyone who looks "foreign." The report also highlights the discriminatory ways in which special registration programs, border stops, airline profiling and other government initiatives have victimized people who are (or appear to be) Arab, Muslim and South Asian. These policies and practices have wrought destruction on individuals, families and communities, tearing them apart through unjust detentions, deportations, raids and more.

We rely on the police to protect us from harm and to promote fairness and justice in our communities. The despicable practice of racial profiling, however, has led countless people to live in fear and created a system of law enforcement that casts entire communities as suspect. Surely the land of the free can do better.

Read the ACLU/RWG report, which includes a long list of recommendations for truly eradicating this troubling (and, study after study shows, ineffective) law enforcement technique.

Listen to a podcast with Dennis Parker, director of the ACLU Racial Justice Program.

And learn more about the ACLU's work to end racial profiling at our website.

Permalink |	Immigrants' Rights, Racial Justice, Racial Profiling

1. Eric Says:
   Jul 3rd, 2009 at 7:59am

   Hmm. Muslim males from~19-45 commit most of the terrorist activities in the world in the past 40 or so years. Why would we focus our attention on them. I cannot believe anyone with a braincell supports the aclu.

2. Maggie Says:
   Jul 3rd, 2009 at 11:45am

   This is starting to sound like double talk. You don't want the police to profile anyone. You don't want ICE to do their job of enforcing immigration laws. You don't want airline profiling. You approve of affirmative action, sounds like profiling to me.

   However when you are in trouble who do you call? The police, CERD, RWG, ACLU?
   Do we need to check first before we take some action? I guess the next step will be when someone gets hurt or something happens we will be in trouble for not allowing the police etc to enforce the law.

3. Rob Says:
   Jul 6th, 2009 at 5:22pm

   Maggie you are right. As soon as something happens the ACLU will be screaming we should have done more. Which side are they on?!?!??!?!

4. roald Says:
   Jul 8th, 2009 at 12:51pm

   Eric, Maggie, Rob...Profiling is OK when you are not the target?

   White males commit most of the non-government sponsored serial killings in the world. Should we randomly stop white males? Women commit virtually all of the postpartum killings of infants in the world. Should we randomly stop all females?

   Law enforcement should enforce laws without regard to race. Smugglers pick mules based on not fitting a profile. Irish people also try to immigrate illegally (or did until our economy went bad).

5. david krause Says:
   Jul 8th, 2009 at 4:37pm

   ive been a victom for years and was assulted neerly murdered 10 years ago need help to solve this matter thank you for your unety to helpopert. ps Ive been homeless because of there neglagence now in seattle wash trying to help myself from there vishous hold.

6. david krause Says:
   Jul 8th, 2009 at 4:40pm

   please get back with me soon my phone number is (206)683-0418

7. maressa Says:
   Jul 9th, 2009 at 12:48pm

   police have the right to be stop any one they suspect but not the right to discriminate. do they know the difference?

8. maressa Says:
   Jul 9th, 2009 at 12:50pm

   education is key to law enforcement

9. maressa Says:
   Jul 9th, 2009 at 12:55pm

   police have no right to discriminate they probably can"t even spell it.

10. maressa Says:
    Jul 9th, 2009 at 12:58pm

    i know you guys can do better than this. hello?

11. maressa Says:
    Jul 9th, 2009 at 12:59pm

    are we there yet?

12. maressa Says:
    Jul 9th, 2009 at 1:00pm

    I thought so!

13. maressa Says:
    Jul 9th, 2009 at 1:02pm

    time for new blood in this land say amen somebody

14. beholder Says:
    Jul 17th, 2009 at 3:30pm

    amen!

15. William Toodle Says:
    Jul 25th, 2009 at 5:04pm

    WEll i guess my first message never got to you probly part of the continual scheme to keep there dirty lundary in house. other methods are bugging my home telephone services going to college where i attend school speaking bad of me plus contacting potenial empolyment and discourge them from hiring me. Arizona has its own laws different from the rest of the United States its like a bad movie thats has come to life. The court proceeding are unconstitutional at best atleast in my case. where the factal information was ignored my public pretender never showed to one court date and i was allowed to speak to the judge from the seats in the court they would not allow me to speak into the microphone like everyone before me.when i questioned it they became very angry i was also given the wrong court dates on a back of a card in hopes that i would miss the real court date thus make me FTA loseing by default. i ask myself is all this happening cause im black mybe or some bad people raised some bad kids who grew up tobe bad people that patrol our streets and oversee our court rooms. I know police write lies tell lies but judges that was knew to me. and they stand and point the finger at other people, not surprised anymore its the American way,or the white way no harm meant just calling like it is. You might think he's angry not really just wanna see justice work for me after all i'm american it's suppose to regardless of my stature or the poeple who committed the crime status. The people here in arizona are cruel to the bone,only awearness will change what takes place here. I contact the FBI on the West coast aleast no responces i heard on a documentary they use tobe part of the Klan i don't know but i do know this my story is the truth. i told the story to my classmates there was not one dry eye in the classroom my teacher even wrote at the top of the paper powerful strong, maybe so but inside of me i was crushed by the unconstitutional acts by people who were sworn in to do the right thing and never came close to doing the right thing. instead they continue there unscrupulous behavior i guess because they have nothing better to do or the infomation have could ruin many careers i think is not the latter.you might be saying what happen ? swat team police kicked my door down news in front of my house stateing man with guns and drugs holding girl friend and daughter hostage. no guns no drugs found my girl fiends made no call to the police what so ever she even gave a notarized affadavit stating this was a lie we were told don't care about the affadavit. guess what i was charged with?theft of my onw cell phone i paid 30 dollars for the phone. thats a dam shame. but it justice in Arizona or was it blackmans justice in Arizona makes you wonder. know this it was not leagal American justice. i recently 2dys ago sent a letter to the FBI informing that my home and phone was bugged also my computer Will see, you know the old boy system look out for me and i will look out for you and lets sweep the truth under the rug or kill the complaintent Well my story is in 4 out of 50 states somebody going to make sure justice is served i'am sure of that. reply i like to here from you email toodlewilliam@yahoo.com remember my computer is bugg.

16. Willis Says:
    Jul 30th, 2009 at 3:32pm

    Roald

    I think when 13% of the country is responsable for 53% of the murders what does anyone expect cops to do. It's not right but it makes sense. Lets say a rape has just been reported to police and say statistics show that 50% of all rapes are committed by people wearing red shoes - I want the police to stop everyone wearing a red shoe and at least ask where they have been that night. Our whole world in governed by statistics. Everything you buy has been researched to determine what demogrphic fits that products bill. It's not profiling or racist it's marketing. Police use these same mathmatical statitics to determine what demographic in what neighborhood and at what time of night fits the bill for crime.

17. American Says:
    Aug 3rd, 2009 at 6:26pm

    racial profilling leads to criminals off the street. If you have nothing to hide then why worry? Why leave it to police to distinguish yourself from others? If people of your color dress like thugs you should expect that kind of treatment if you dress like one as well.

18. only whites can be racist Says:
    Aug 4th, 2009 at 7:02pm

    this whole gates thing is not about racial profilling. How can people be so stupid to believe that? Racial profilling is randomly picking black guys out of the crowd to check them out. It is not going to the house of the alledged break in and asking questions to ensure he's the owner of the house. If this is an example of anything it's an example of power tripping police and a reverse racist.

    People need to think clearly

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