STOP AND FRISK A racial point of view

--> Written by Dane Miller
 

STOP AND FRISK

A racial point of view

I have been the victim of racial profiling, not once, not twice, but more times in my life than the average white person.  Yet still, that is not my biggest fear, being stopped, question, frisk, and searched by the police, this after being approach with guns drawn held by screaming police officers, yelling at me what to, and not to do.  I should be terrified, but I’m not in the least, because I’m more concern about gang and street violence.  The random and spontaneous shooting by a gun carrying individual, who do so out of no fear of being stop and frisk, because the laws does not permit such actions, its deemed unconstitutional. 

Of course no one wants to violate the constitution, and in this case the 4^th amendment, which in short “prohibits unreasonable search and seizures without probable cause”.  But in crime-ridden cities across the US, many crime-stopping programs have tried and failed, to decrease the violence that’s plaguing our streets.   States like New York, who has adopted the stop and frisk program, have seen dramatic decrease in crime over the last 20 years.  Fact is, in 1990 when New York City’s violent crime rates peaked, there were 2,245 murders, and since 2003, some years after the in implementation of stop and frisk, homicides haven’t reached 600 per year, to date.  The stop and frisk program clearly works but much like any new policies, it is not without flaws that generates resistant.

The sad truth is that, most of the people that are targeted are Blacks, and Latinos, some 70-90% in fact.  This goes without saying, how frustrated law abiding citizens may get, a recurrent sense of racism, the embarrassment of being publicly searched, and in the end allowed to leave without a citation, or arrest.  But what’s worst, being stop and frisk, with the inconvenience that comes with it, or being shot and kill by the person packing a gun who wasn’t stop and frisk, and hence not arrested?  This is a matter of life or death, the racial disparities surrounding stop and frisk does not out weight the benefits and the good that comes of it. 

In 2011, 770 guns were recovered across New York during frisks.  Data suggest that’s a 30% percent increase over 2003, when 594 guns were recovered.  This pre-empt way of crime fighting is very effective, it save lives, but its not perfect.  People’s rights have been violated due to misconduct by police officers, cops that went beyond the laws that’s governing stop and frisk.  The solution for such action is educational training beyond the academy, as well as public safety workshop where the citizens can have their questions and concerns addressed by the city’s official and police officers.  I believe that is the key for the people to feel like they are part of the solution and not the problem, even if they are being stopped and frisked.

 

They say if you are not part of the solution, then you are a part of the problem.  That’s hard to argue, much like the supreme law of the land, the Constitution, but even that has been amended, so there is always room for conversation.  One we should all be having is, that people are dying everyday due to high crimes, and gun violence.  The Stop and Frisk program is one that works in particular for New York, in the decline of violent crimes, even if it profiles certain demographic including myself.  Life is not perfect in anyway, but I love mine, and if keeping it means that there is a chance I maybe stop and frisk while walking down the street on any given day, then I can live with that, by my account, that beats being dead. 

Bibliography: Jesse Alejandro Cottrell Jan 23 2013, 10:24 AM ET

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/01/stop-and-frisk-may-be-working-but-is-it-racist/267417/

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