The home serves as a safe haven for most people, correct? On July 16th of 2009, a man named Henry Louis Gates Jr. was taken home in a limousine provided to him by his employers at Harvard University. Professor Gates and his limo driver, both African American men, had difficulties opening his front door, so they attempted to bash through the door with their shoulders. Gates’ neighbor witnessed the “break in” and informed a neighborhood watch employee, Lucia Whalen, who informed the authorities. Soon after Whalen made the call, Officer Crowley arrived on the scene (Staples). The actions of Officer Crowley have been debated since his judgment call was made, but there is no solid evidence regarding how he approached Gates about the “break in.”
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There are multitudes of cases in which police suspicions have gone awry and ended poorly, either for the victim or the police officer. Kaleb Winston was an African American artist who enjoyed expressing himself through fashion and other artistic means. Winston purchased a notebook that had factory made graffiti artwork on the cover for aesthetic. Police found his notebook and figured young Kaleb to be a “Tagger,” or a gang member that tags their gang symbols or other gang affiliated propaganda onto local properties. After being accused of the crime, he was a forced to hold a sign that read, "My name is Kaleb Winston, and I am a gang tagger. (Bowie)" The police informed him that this incident would stay on his permanent record for any potential employers to see. Although this is a tame example of racial profiling, it greatly affected Kaleb, humiliating him and instilling in him a fear of law enforcement that lasts to this day. Another example of racial profiling involves a story that caught mass media attention: the Rodney King beating in 1991. King was pulled out of his vehicle by the police after a high-speed chase and was viciously beaten by four white police officers. However, this was not the only issue people had in this case. When the case was taken to court, a majority white jury acquitted the officers who were charged with excessive use of force by a member of the police (Staples). This court hearing lead to the infamous race riots of 1992, in which 60 people were killed and 2400 were injured. Not only did these riots cost people their lives, but it also cost cities billions of dollars in damage (Staples). These examples show the extremes and tamer sides of profiling, however, neither have ended positively for victims of the profiling crimes. King’s case and the riots that ensued are excellent examples of how passionate people become about profiling and reveal their determination
There are multitudes of cases in which police suspicions have gone awry and ended poorly, either for the victim or the police officer. Kaleb Winston was an African American artist who enjoyed expressing himself through fashion and other artistic means. Winston purchased a notebook that had factory made graffiti artwork on the cover for aesthetic. Police found his notebook and figured young Kaleb to be a “Tagger,” or a gang member that tags their gang symbols or other gang affiliated propaganda onto local properties. After being accused of the crime, he was a forced to hold a sign that read, "My name is Kaleb Winston, and I am a gang tagger. (Bowie)" The police informed him that this incident would stay on his permanent record for any potential employers to see. Although this is a tame example of racial profiling, it greatly affected Kaleb, humiliating him and instilling in him a fear of law enforcement that lasts to this day. Another example of racial profiling involves a story that caught mass media attention: the Rodney King beating in 1991. King was pulled out of his vehicle by the police after a high-speed chase and was viciously beaten by four white police officers. However, this was not the only issue people had in this case. When the case was taken to court, a majority white jury acquitted the officers who were charged with excessive use of force by a member of the police (Staples). This court hearing lead to the infamous race riots of 1992, in which 60 people were killed and 2400 were injured. Not only did these riots cost people their lives, but it also cost cities billions of dollars in damage (Staples). These examples show the extremes and tamer sides of profiling, however, neither have ended positively for victims of the profiling crimes. King’s case and the riots that ensued are excellent examples of how passionate people become about profiling and reveal their determination