Ethnicity and the Police Part 2: Newspaper Article

Ethnicity and the Police Part 2: Newspaper Article

Law enforcement and the community have always had an off and on relationship. Like any other relationship they have their disagreements, misunderstandings and break-ups. However at the end of the day both sides share common interests; deterrence and justice. With the influx of immigrants in the past decades the United States has been bombarded with many different cultures and languages. Therefore society’s views and opinions of law enforcement vary from ethnicity to ethnicity. We will be exploring how the Asian, Hispanic and Black communities see law enforcement from discrimination, racial profiling and past experiences. Also, we will discuss how non-minorities view law enforcement and their actions. The shattered relations between law enforcement and minorities will be included in the discussion. In addition, the police officers and the rise of diversity and how they interact with the community, response to the growth of ethnic communities and education on diversity. Lastly, racial profiling and its effects on police officers, the community and the department will be explored.

Ethnic Groups

The increase of immigration and diversity has sometimes made relationships with police difficult. Asian and Hispanics communities are often fearful of police officers due to their past experiences. Their past experiences vary from their country of origin that was plagued with war and civil unrest. This includes corruption in law enforcement and abuse of power by authority figures. Leading many minorities to fear and sometimes dislike law enforcement. Hispanic communities often feel that police officers discriminated them by racial profiling them. In Arizona the very controversial SB 1070 anti-illegal immigration bill has passed which allows police officers to ask individuals for legal documentation if they believe they are illegally residing in the country. This has only caused greater fear in the Hispanic communities but also a rise on racial profiling among law enforcement. The Black community also shares some of the same feeling against police. From the establishment of this country Blacks have been faced with discrimination and injustice. To this day many are fearful of law enforcement and believe that the criminal justice has failed them. According to Hardy L. Brown the criminal justice system treats Whites differently from minorities. Brown compares the O.J. Simpson criminal trial in California with his civil trial in Las Vegas and says that because Simpson’s Las Vegas jury was made up of mostly whites he was found guilty. He claims that if the Simpson had been white he would have been acquitted.

Non-Minorities

Unlike minorities who distrust law enforcement Whites have a strong support of law enforcement. Whites support law enforcement and often contribute to neighborhood