Guilty Before Proven Innocent?

Imagine a world where your innocence is judged by the color of your skin. A world where factors in which you have no control of take more precedence in people’s judgement than your words or actions. If that sounds like a world you do not want to be a part of, then I hate to break it to you but you’re living in it. Since the civil rights movement many Americans believed that racism is a part of our past. Many believe that we live in a post-racial society. However this is not the case. Since the end of the civil rights movement, black Americans have been scrutinized and often discriminated against based solely on their appearance.

Through the struggles of many cultural leaders, black Americans have been able to progress slowly towards a truly fair and equal treatment. Although segregation has been outlawed, blacks are constantly under pressure from some outside factor. As of late this factor has been law enforcement. The cases are countless Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Walter Scott, these are a few of the deaths caused by police against unarmed black men. It’s because of the current perception of blacks in American culture that makes them targets by the police. Police are constantly scanning for possible threats in order to protect the peace. Today, blacks are often stigmatized and labeled as hoodlums, ne’er-do-wells, or thugs. It is because of this perception that law enforcement often acts more aggressively towards black Americans. In a recent study out of 60 people interviewed of multiple races, it’s been shown that a majority have either admitted to being afraid of the police because of their skin tone or have witnessed situations where police have acted aggressively towards a black person.

Racial profiling has quickly become the hottest topic of discussion in the last decade. With the increased presence of the TSA and media coverage of police shootings against blacks, profiling has impacted the lives of many Americans regardless of race. As an Afghan-American I’ve witnessed being profiled against in person. Despite being lighter than most Afghan’s I have witnessed family members in scarfs being randomly selected at that the airport, time after time. In these situations it seems that you are often accused of a crime and only by proving your innocence through a series of tasks can you progress freely. The only reason for this search is your appearance. Black Americans have been subjected to the worst of this prejudice. Blacks face profiling and racism in multiple situations, from riding the bus to applying for a job. It seems as though as a black American you’re already guilty of a crime you didn’t even know you committed.

America today is headed in the wrong direction. Unless there is serious reform things will continue on in this downwards trend. Members of law enforcement are put into positions of power and are given the benefit of the doubt in court over others. Because of this there is a lack of accountability for ones actions in law enforcement. Officers impose unfair biases and prejudices which can escalate situations and cause racial tension. America is slowly becoming Peter Griffin’s Quahog, where only the white are granted equality and everyone else has to work for theirs.