Disclaimer: I truly believe that I will never understand what racial profiling is. Since I will not experience it myself, I will never be able to fully comprehend how it effects others who do experience it on a daily basis. As with everything in life, it is difficult to wrap our minds around things that we will not experience first hand.

Reading through this chapter in the CQ reader, I could not stop gasping aloud. I was raised in a very conservative household, and this chapter truly opened my eyes to points of view and information that I had not been previously exposed to. Reading “Black Lives Matter: A Growing Movement”, I was shocked by the way in which these black men were treated. I do not understand how it was necessary for police to shoot Laquan McDonald 16 times. It absolutely boggles my mind.

We live in a country that prides itself on safety and security, meanwhile there is a portion of our population that does not feel safe. It is a scary thought that there are people in this country who do not have someone to call when they feel that they are in harms way. Furthermore, the people they are supposed to call to help them are the very people they fear will hurt them.

I appreciated the At Issue section of this chapter which discussed the question: “Is racial profiling by police a serious problem in the United Stated?” Both sides of this argument were strong and enlightening. Parker discussed how African-Americans and Latinos are more likely to be stopped than whites and the laws surrounding this reality. He concluded with a very powerful quote, “The idea of basing law enforcement on actions rather than on race, ethnicity or religion is long overdue.” In 2017, our society should be very past discriminating based upon race, ethnicity and religion. Mac Donald, on the other hand, had some strong arguments as well. She made a very interesting point regarding the shooting per capita rate in Brownville versus Bay Ridge. It makes sense that in areas with higher rate of gangs and violence there would be more police officers, which would lead to more action and ultimately unfortunately more shootings. She claims proactive policing is what keeps areas safer.

Both Parker and Mac Donald made excellent points. When it comes to issues such as racial profiling, I do not have an answer. I simply just have questions. How can we protect our citizens without causing any physical or emotional harm to them? How can we live in a society where community members do not feel that they are being protected by those that are supposed to be protecting them? Lastly, what methods and techniques can our police officers use to keep our greater communities safe while allowing community members to feel safe as well?