The issue of racial profiling has been a deeply debated issue for many years, and its prevalence in American society has only grown stronger. Although there are instances where the use of force by law enforcement is warranted, that power can be and is misused, which can lead to very dangerous and fatal circumstances. There have been too many cases of police brutality against minorities, particularly black Americans, in the past few years for this issue to be overlooked and for the perpetrators of this racial profiling to be let off the hook.

Furthermore, there is a pressing situation of ethnic profiling at hand with the introduction of Trump’s travel ban. The mass rejection of Muslim people by the United States is entirely based on their religion and countries of origin, which is about as specific as a case of ethnic profiling can get. The fact that Trump was able to put his law into action in the first place is a mystery to me, considering that Korematsu v. United States established the principle that “race-based restrictions in the law are ‘immediately suspect’. ” One would think the government learned its lesson after the unjust internment of Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, but that is clearly not the case, as Muslim Americans are being blamed for the actions of ISIS.

I have a family member who is a cop in New York City, so I have heard arguments pertaining to racial profiling and stop-and-frisk at family gatherings. He feels that all cops are being blamed for doing their job simply because some cops are going about their job the wrong way, and he has experienced a lot of animosity between law enforcement and everyday people due to these “bad cops”. However, he does feel that if a person has committed a crime or is fighting back against the officer, some force is warranted or the situation will escalate even more. I don’t agree with his stance on some of the cases mentioned in the CQ reader, but in general, I understand his concern about the damaged relationship between cops and the people they serve.