Racial Profiling In 12 Angry Men

Growing up, people have shared stories about being pulled over by police for no apparent or obviously bogus reason. Typically, these stories came from African American males, who described their encounter as “Driving While Black” or “DWB.” These notions were dismissed because the police in our town are seen as the good cops, the ones who are not rude or inappropriate during stops. It did not become apparent that racial profiling is a very real issue until stories that have appeared in the news over the past couple of years. Racial profiling is a very prevalent problem is today’s society; this subjection is not only limited to African Americans, but those are the stories that we hear the most about in the news. After reading 12 Angry Men: True …show more content…
His name is Floyd; Floyd was the drug courier for another traveler that was carrying the real drugs. He could not remember the man’s name, but he did know what he looked like. When describing what the man looked like, Floyd said, “He looks like me” (Morgan 48). Between Floyd and Morgan, their only resemblance was the color of their skin, which is exactly what those police officers based their reaction off of. Morgan took the Los Angeles Police Department to trial, which is where the previous information was brought to light. The courts determined that Joe Morgan’s rights had been violated; therefore, he was awarded over $500,000 in damages (Morgan …show more content…
It is nine o’clock at night and Butler is walking home from work because his car is in the shop getting repaired (Butler 112). During this walk, Butler is stopped by police officers and questioned about whether or not he lives in the area (Butler 113). Considering the fact that Butler is a professor of law, he knows his right and knows that he is not obligated to answer that question. He told the officers to have a nice night and continued walking home, also considering the fact that he was so close to is. The squad car proceeded to park and watch Butler walk until he was out of their sight; that is when they would speed back up to Butler. He asked the police officers why they were following him and if it was because he was black; the officers quickly shot down that notion because they are black too (Butler 114)! By this point, Butler is very disappointed because he expected better of the black police officers, who should know that this very situation involving racial profiling happens all the time in the Black community. The officers explained to Butler that they were suspicious because they do not see people walking in this neighborhood and that they know everyone who lives in this neighborhood. Therefore, Butler proceeds to walk onto his front porch and take a seat. The police officers ask him if he lives here and Butler replies with a yes. The officers do