Author: patrieceausili

How does the U.S. end slavery, continue to hold African Americans and other minorities from thriving, and expect them to feel equal? Legal segregation ended, but segregation and discrimination continues. I always read about the wealth gap, and it amazes me every time. Blacks’ household net worth is $11,000 vs. whites’ almost $142,000. Feagin says that white families had generations to increase their wealth, improve their education, and improve their overall lifestyles that others weren’t allowed to have access to. It’s true and there’s no denying that. I agree with Feagin that the crime economy is sometimes the only option that many blacks in poverty have, because doors are shut in their faces. And I think opening The Smithsonian Natural Museum of African American History and Culture is a great step towards introducing the side of history that is untold and many try to forget.

I think, in theory, improving police interactions with African Americans would improve race relations. African Americans would be able to feel protected instead of targeted by the police. But FBI Director James Comey acknowledges that the police racially profile black Americans. I don’t think improvements in the interactions will improve race relations because there are going to be more incidents that draw attention to the race of the subjects and divide black Americans and the police even more. Law enforcement should definitely try, and continue to try in the future to improve relations, but I don’t see improvements in relations happening anytime soon. In NYC in 2014, 54% of blacks were stopped and frisked compared to 12% of whites, and whites account for the majority of the population. I think those numbers will remain stable if stop and frisk is continued.

I think schools should emphasize desegregation and reintegrate. I went to a public school that had numerous races and ethnicities, and the diversity I grew up with was awesome. I learned from other cultures, and they learned from me. But there will be opposition to reintegration. I remember listening to a journalist’s recording of a high school PTA meeting that discussed the high school’s recent acceptance of minority students to come to the school because the minority students’ school had closed down (I think. It was a long time ago). The point is, one of the moms was speaking and said the minority students will bring the school’s test scores down, that the minority students’ don’t have the capabilities to do well with the other (white) students, and that they shouldn’t be sent here. The outcome……. the minority students had to go to a high school with other minority students. I think reintegration can be positive, and not every school is equal. And George Theoharis puts it perfectly by stating that “[w]e have enough history in this country of being unable to achieve separate but equal schools.”

Gangs are becoming more sophisticated and law enforcement has to keep up. Gangs are using social media to recruit people. I wonder how they use social media and if the gangs are worried about a trail left behind because nothing is a secret on the internet. And I wonder what is posted on their sites? Many gangs have turned to human trafficking and law enforcement officials overlook gangs’ involvement in human trafficking more now. Human trafficking affects 20+ million people and it’s an organized business that needs more law enforcement attention.

I believe educating youths, offering job training programs and extracurricular activities can help reduce the likelihood of gang members that are vulnerable to becoming recruited. Others may not agree, but letting youths know there are other options than becoming a gang member can be beneficial. And the youths can’t just be told about the offers, they need guidance along the way because there will be gangs pressuring them to join.

The CQ chapter states that some gang crimes are not reported enough because they keep a low profile. For example, Asian gangs aren’t territorial and they victimize their community members. What is unfortunate is the fact that the members of the community don’t report the crimes because of fear (I would be afraid, too), but also language barriers. The members of the community shouldn’t feel that language barriers are in the way of justice. Law enforcement should have more translators if there aren’t enough, and law enforcement should educate communities that speaking another language is not an issue if they need help.

Injunctions sounds like it can work, but gang members will also be more careful about meeting in public and can avoid injunctions. But injunctions also rely on profiling as the CQ chapter says police and prosecutors make their own list of what gang members look like. I understand what Morreale says, that “the more gangs get hassled for the little things, the less time they have for the big things,” but it’s also not okay for people to be at family party or walking home late and be in violation.

Racial and ethnic profiling have been around for centuries, and no matter how outdated it is, profiling persists today. As the CQ discusses, racial profiling exists in the police force. Racial and ethnic profiling had been fought before, but the “Black Lives Matter” movement really shed light on the situation to people that didn’t notice or care to notice before. And it’s a shame people, specifically minority men and women, had to die in order for the broader public to open their eyes and realize how their fellow Americans are treated.

Mac Donald said the aggressive stop-and-frisk policies in NYC lead to crime to decline in the 1990s. She adds that minorities benefited from the tactics, and it is important to bring safety to poor neighborhoods. Others say stop-and-frisk is over-enforcing and driving a wedge between law enforcement and the general population. I agree with the latter. Personally, if I saw more cops in my neighborhood I would take my business elsewhere. High crime neighborhoods have an over abundant amount of officers conducting stop-and-frisk procedures on Americans. Instead of focusing on the number of officers in an area, new strategies should be devised to improve the quality of stop-and-frisk, as the Police Executive Research Forum report suggested. The CQ provides the wedge between law enforcement and the public by stating 73% of blacks say they are treated less fairly and 54% Hispanics say they are treated less fairly as well.

At the end of the chapter, Obama said, “when any part of the American family does not feel like it is being treated fairly, that’s a problem for all of us,” means us Americans as a whole need to combat any obstacle one of us faces, together. I know I won’t understand how it feels to be racially or ethnically profiled, but it affects many Americans today and new law enforcement techniques and strategies must be established.