A Non-Violent Fight:
How people in New York City have used peaceful protests to fight the crime of racial profiling
Imagine you walk into a department store, looking for a new pair of shoes. You find your shoes, pay for them, and leave the store wearing your new shoes. After walking a few blocks, you get stopped by a police officer who questions you about the shoes. He asks you if you have stolen them, and answering no, you show him your receipt. He then lets you go. This situation, and others like it, are common occurrences for ethnic minorities living in New York City. This is called racial profiling, and it happens all too frequently to people, even though many of us do not like to talk about it. Racial Profiling. It happens to everyone, even professors.
In the summer of 2009, Harvard professor, Henry Louis Gates Jr., was racially profiled outside his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Gates had just gotten home from a trip to China and when he tried to go into his house, he found that his door was jammed. He and his driver started working together to try to get the door to open. A neighbor of Gates saw the two men trying to get into the house and thought that they were trying to break in. When the police arrived, Gates was in his house and his driver had left. Upon arrival, the officer, James Crowley, asked Gates to step outside and Gates did not comply. Crowley then went into Gates’ home and Gates proceeded to show him his Harvard Identification card, and his driver’s license which proved the house Gates was in belonged to him. After this, Gates became angry with the officer and Crowley arrested him with the charge of disorderly conduct. While being arrested, Gates asked Crowley if he was being mistreated because he was African American, but Crowley did not respond. Later, the case was looked at by a committee of law enforcement and racial-bias experts, and it started national talk about racial profiling. Eventually, the charges against Gates for disorderly conduct were dropped. That does not change the fact that Gates was reported because it was assumed he was breaking in because of his skin color, and that he was mistreated by the officer for the same reason.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, “Racial Profiling refers to the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual's race, ethnicity, religion or national origin.” Racial Profiling, on any level, is illegal. While mostly done by police officers, racial profiling can also be committed by citizens as well. Whenever you look at a person, and assume something about them because of their race, the thought itself is racial profiling. If you look at an African American, and assume he has been in jail, or when you look at a young African American boy and think he might be in a gang, that is racial profiling. People assume bad things about others everyday without even realizing it. On June 2, 2015, a bill was passed that “Prohibits police officers from using racial and ethnic profiling” (New York State Assembly). This bill was passed only in 2015. So before that, it was legal in New York to judge someone based on their race.
I do not think people realize that this issue is not being addressed in the way it should be. Finally, over the last few years, more and more states have been passing bills and making laws prohibiting racial profiling, but there are still twenty states in America that have no laws against racial profiling whatsoever. It is not okay that officers are committing a crime when they are trying to get more arrests. It is not okay that, last year in New York, the reported racial profiling encounters for African American men aged 14-24 was above their total population (Leland)-- meaning that every one of those men in New York was wrongly accused of something just because they looked a certain way. These people walk around their city everyday and have to worry about getting stopped by officers. Not because they committed a crime. Not because they are hiding something, but simply because of the way they look. Some of these people are living in fear of law enforcement officers just because their skin is not white. I am deeply concerned for the environment these officers are creating for children in an ethnic minority. They are creating the idea that, because you are born looking a certain way, you have the potential to be a criminal. I fear the long term effects of racial profiling could be deeply psychological. People could start to be ashamed to be African American, and that idea is so sad. In the last few years, people have been drawing more attention to this topic and shedding new light on how serious this problem is. Racial profiling is a split second decision that officers make while doing their job, but they do not understand the damage they are causing in that moment.
Racial profiling is not an issue that is just surfacing recently; it has been a problem all throughout the world for centuries. The most popular way people have spoken out and expressed their anger about racial profiling is through riots, like the Draft Riots of 1863 and the Harlem Riots of 1964. When the Draft Riots started, they had nothing to do with race. Initially, people were protesting the new laws that were passed about drafting working-class men to fight in the Civil War. Then later, they turned into a race riot in which white people started attacking African Americans throughout the city. The white rioters turned on the African Americans because they saw them as competition for the few jobs that were left. The mob of rioters against the african americans then looted and robbed the “The Colored Orphan Asylum” which housed 233 children. After the riots, the number of deaths came out to 119, with almost all of them being african american. The riots caused a lot of African Americans to leave the city permanently, due to fear of something like this happening again. Even though these riots were not directly connected to racial profiling, they are a big example of the way african americans have been mistreated throughout the history of America. An example of a riot extremely connected to racial profiling was the Harlem Race Riot of 1964. This riot was started because of the death of a young african american boy named James Powell. Powell and his friends were hanging out by a apartment building and the white superintendent of the building went outside and pointed his water hose at them. Following his act, Powell chased the superintendent into the building. Thomas Gilligan, a police officer that was patrolling the area, saw the commotion and decided to check out the scene. Once Powell had exited the building, he came into contact with Gilligan. Upon confrontation, Powell took out a knife and slashed Gilligan on the arm. Right after Powell cut the officer, Gilligan shot Powell and killed him. From this tragic incident, many people in Harlem and throughout New York City were angered and outraged by an officer killing a young fifteen-year-old boy. On the day of Powell’s funeral, two days after his death, a crowd of enraged citizens formed and marched down to the police precinct to help ensure justice for the terrible crime committed. The main point of their anger was the way Gilligan handled the situation. He was a lieutenant and a veteran and would be expected to be able to handle intense situations better. The rioters believed that Gilligan could have handled the situation without having to kill Powell. After the rioters arrived at the precinct, they started to throw bricks and bottles at the officers outside. The riot lasted for six days, and each day officers would get impatient and without warning, start firing shots at rioters. From the riots, one person was killed, and many were injured. Gilligan’s argument in court was that Powell was brandishing a knife and because of that all the charges were dropped. (“Disasters”). Rioting is an intense action that people resort to when they are trying to get themselves to be heard. If people would stop trying to use acts of violence to get their point across, and actually used their words, their message could be heard louder and clearer.
Fast forward fifty years. Eric Garner died on the streets of Staten Island on July 17, 2014, because he was racially profiled. Garner was a forty-three year old african american, a husband to Esaw Garner, a father of six, and a grandfather of three. On July 17, Garner was approached by an officer on the suspicion of him selling untaxed, single cigarettes. Garner told the police that he was not selling cigarettes and was very upset that he kept being harassed by the police. Before his death, Garner had been arrested more than thirty times by the New York City Police Department for an assortment of crimes such as assault, resisting arrest, driving without a license, selling untaxed cigarettes, false impersonation, and marijuana possession. Garner was no saint in the eyes of the law, but that does not make what happened to him any more right. He kept on complaining that the police were harassing him and he started to get angry, so the officer arrested him. Officer Daniel Pantaleo tried to put Garner’s wrist behind his back, and when Garner pulled away, Pantaleo put his hands around Garner’s neck and took him to the ground. Pantaleo put Garner in a chokehold which is prohibited for officers to use when trying to arrest someone. While Pantaleo had Garner in the chokehold, Eric Garner repeated the words “I can’t breathe” (q.t.d in Baker) eleven times before Pantaleo let go. Garner stayed lying down on the sidewalk while the ambulance came, and when they did, CPR was not performed because Garner was still breathing. Eric Garner was pronounced dead about an hour later at the hospital, and later a medical exam confirmed the cause of Garner’s death was loss of breath by being put into a chokehold. Daniel Pantaleo was not put in jail for this act. He did not lose his job completely for killing Garner. He was only put on desk duty and stripped of his badge and service handgun. The fact that Garner had already committed several crimes does not matter. That officer, no doubt, killed someone. Police officers’ jobs are to enforce the law, but somehow, they themselves have found a way to rise above it. If an innocent man is murdered, the murderer should do time in jail for the crime they committed, regardless of their status or relationship with the law and the government. Officers should not think that, since they are a cop, they do not have to abide by the same laws they enforce, and that is exactly what Garner’s case is saying. It is telling all the other police officers that since they are a cops, they will not be convicted for crimes they commit. Eric Garner did not deserve to die on that afternoon of July 17th, and the person who is responsible for his death should do time in jail for it.
In earlier times, Eric Garner’s death surely would have prompted a riot, but recently, people have been trying to use more effective and peaceful methods of protesting to get their point across. Riots and peaceful protests can sometimes be mistaken for the same thing, but they are actually very different. A riot is defined as “a violent public disorder; specifically: a tumultuous disturbance of the public peace by three or more persons assembled together and acting with a common intent”. The most important part of a peaceful protest is that it is PEACEFUL. The idea is to still protest a belief and make a difference, but since it is non-violent, it will be more effective. Wes Annac wrote an article for The Openhearted Rebel commenting on how he was against violent rioters, but would be happy to join the peaceful protesters. He says: “I’d be with the peaceful protesters, using protest to reclaim our rights in a world where you have to do big things to get the attention of the people in power” Annac is right-- doing small acts will not get the attention big issues like racial profiling need. Just by watching a peaceful protest, the importance of the subject their protesting is way more evident than that of a riot. People are chanting and singing about how we need to take back our rights and give power back to the people, and that is way more powerful than watching citizens and police officers fight to their death. A very popular movement all across America right now is Black Lives Matter. They have had many peaceful protests that have been very effective and contribute to the long fight for equality throughout the human race. On their website, they state their mission: “Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise” (Black Lives Matter). They are a movement that are trying to help fight for racial equality. They always try to keep violence out of their protests, but always with change, comes the resisters. Even though people are really starting to change their ways from violent rioting to peaceful protesting, there are still some stragglers that will not stop with the violence. Non-violent protests will almost be completely peaceful, but sometimes the protesters experience some violent acts. Because peaceful protests are such a new idea, not everyone is accustomed to the idea yet. Over time, more and more people will learn that they do not have to resort to violence to get their point across. Our country is still adjusting to the idea of peaceful protests, but they are a better and more effective way to protest people's opinion, and not get anyone hurt in the process.
I, as a white female, have never experienced any type of racial profiling aimed towards myself. However, I have read all all these stories and heard about all these people who have been a victim in a crime because of their skin color, and I realize how wrong this is. These people did not have a choice to be born the way we were, and they should not have to worry that they are going to get stopped by an officer just because of how they look. I cannot even begin to imagine how hard that would be to deal with, and no one should have to. When african americans rioted to protest racial profiling, they could be viewed as violent and aggressive, which would add to the opinions of some about the type of people they were because of their skin color. Riots are formed to protest unapproved ideas and actions when people’s words are not loud enough to be heard. Peaceful protests are a more powerful way to get the people’s beliefs and opinions to be heard, without violence or aggression. When the people fighting this crime are peaceful, it shows that they are not going to try to fight the officers, because they know that will only make matters worse. These protests help to ban everyone together, so that it is not just african americans and ethnic minorities fighting against this problem, but all people. We need to show that everyone, as a human race, cares about righting the wrong that is racial profiling.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, “Racial Profiling refers to the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual's race, ethnicity, religion or national origin.” Racial Profiling, on any level, is illegal. While mostly done by police officers, racial profiling can also be committed by citizens as well. Whenever you look at a person, and assume something about them because of their race, the thought itself is racial profiling. If you look at an African American, and assume he has been in jail, or when you look at a young African American boy and think he might be in a gang, that is racial profiling. People assume bad things about others everyday without even realizing it. On June 2, 2015, a bill was passed that “Prohibits police officers from using racial and ethnic profiling” (New York State Assembly). This bill was passed only in 2015. So before that, it was legal in New York to judge someone based on their race.
I do not think people realize that this issue is not being addressed in the way it should be. Finally, over the last few years, more and more states have been passing bills and making laws prohibiting racial profiling, but there are still twenty states in America that have no laws against racial profiling whatsoever. It is not okay that officers are committing a crime when they are trying to get more arrests. It is not okay that, last year in New York, the reported racial profiling encounters for African American men aged 14-24 was above their total population (Leland)-- meaning that every one of those men in New York was wrongly accused of something just because they looked a certain way. These people walk around their city everyday and have to worry about getting stopped by officers. Not because they committed a crime. Not because they are hiding something, but simply because of the way they look. Some of these people are living in fear of law enforcement officers just because their skin is not white. I am deeply concerned for the environment these officers are creating for children in an ethnic minority. They are creating the idea that, because you are born looking a certain way, you have the potential to be a criminal. I fear the long term effects of racial profiling could be deeply psychological. People could start to be ashamed to be African American, and that idea is so sad. In the last few years, people have been drawing more attention to this topic and shedding new light on how serious this problem is. Racial profiling is a split second decision that officers make while doing their job, but they do not understand the damage they are causing in that moment.
Racial profiling is not an issue that is just surfacing recently; it has been a problem all throughout the world for centuries. The most popular way people have spoken out and expressed their anger about racial profiling is through riots, like the Draft Riots of 1863 and the Harlem Riots of 1964. When the Draft Riots started, they had nothing to do with race. Initially, people were protesting the new laws that were passed about drafting working-class men to fight in the Civil War. Then later, they turned into a race riot in which white people started attacking African Americans throughout the city. The white rioters turned on the African Americans because they saw them as competition for the few jobs that were left. The mob of rioters against the african americans then looted and robbed the “The Colored Orphan Asylum” which housed 233 children. After the riots, the number of deaths came out to 119, with almost all of them being african american. The riots caused a lot of African Americans to leave the city permanently, due to fear of something like this happening again. Even though these riots were not directly connected to racial profiling, they are a big example of the way african americans have been mistreated throughout the history of America. An example of a riot extremely connected to racial profiling was the Harlem Race Riot of 1964. This riot was started because of the death of a young african american boy named James Powell. Powell and his friends were hanging out by a apartment building and the white superintendent of the building went outside and pointed his water hose at them. Following his act, Powell chased the superintendent into the building. Thomas Gilligan, a police officer that was patrolling the area, saw the commotion and decided to check out the scene. Once Powell had exited the building, he came into contact with Gilligan. Upon confrontation, Powell took out a knife and slashed Gilligan on the arm. Right after Powell cut the officer, Gilligan shot Powell and killed him. From this tragic incident, many people in Harlem and throughout New York City were angered and outraged by an officer killing a young fifteen-year-old boy. On the day of Powell’s funeral, two days after his death, a crowd of enraged citizens formed and marched down to the police precinct to help ensure justice for the terrible crime committed. The main point of their anger was the way Gilligan handled the situation. He was a lieutenant and a veteran and would be expected to be able to handle intense situations better. The rioters believed that Gilligan could have handled the situation without having to kill Powell. After the rioters arrived at the precinct, they started to throw bricks and bottles at the officers outside. The riot lasted for six days, and each day officers would get impatient and without warning, start firing shots at rioters. From the riots, one person was killed, and many were injured. Gilligan’s argument in court was that Powell was brandishing a knife and because of that all the charges were dropped. (“Disasters”). Rioting is an intense action that people resort to when they are trying to get themselves to be heard. If people would stop trying to use acts of violence to get their point across, and actually used their words, their message could be heard louder and clearer.
Fast forward fifty years. Eric Garner died on the streets of Staten Island on July 17, 2014, because he was racially profiled. Garner was a forty-three year old african american, a husband to Esaw Garner, a father of six, and a grandfather of three. On July 17, Garner was approached by an officer on the suspicion of him selling untaxed, single cigarettes. Garner told the police that he was not selling cigarettes and was very upset that he kept being harassed by the police. Before his death, Garner had been arrested more than thirty times by the New York City Police Department for an assortment of crimes such as assault, resisting arrest, driving without a license, selling untaxed cigarettes, false impersonation, and marijuana possession. Garner was no saint in the eyes of the law, but that does not make what happened to him any more right. He kept on complaining that the police were harassing him and he started to get angry, so the officer arrested him. Officer Daniel Pantaleo tried to put Garner’s wrist behind his back, and when Garner pulled away, Pantaleo put his hands around Garner’s neck and took him to the ground. Pantaleo put Garner in a chokehold which is prohibited for officers to use when trying to arrest someone. While Pantaleo had Garner in the chokehold, Eric Garner repeated the words “I can’t breathe” (q.t.d in Baker) eleven times before Pantaleo let go. Garner stayed lying down on the sidewalk while the ambulance came, and when they did, CPR was not performed because Garner was still breathing. Eric Garner was pronounced dead about an hour later at the hospital, and later a medical exam confirmed the cause of Garner’s death was loss of breath by being put into a chokehold. Daniel Pantaleo was not put in jail for this act. He did not lose his job completely for killing Garner. He was only put on desk duty and stripped of his badge and service handgun. The fact that Garner had already committed several crimes does not matter. That officer, no doubt, killed someone. Police officers’ jobs are to enforce the law, but somehow, they themselves have found a way to rise above it. If an innocent man is murdered, the murderer should do time in jail for the crime they committed, regardless of their status or relationship with the law and the government. Officers should not think that, since they are a cop, they do not have to abide by the same laws they enforce, and that is exactly what Garner’s case is saying. It is telling all the other police officers that since they are a cops, they will not be convicted for crimes they commit. Eric Garner did not deserve to die on that afternoon of July 17th, and the person who is responsible for his death should do time in jail for it.
In earlier times, Eric Garner’s death surely would have prompted a riot, but recently, people have been trying to use more effective and peaceful methods of protesting to get their point across. Riots and peaceful protests can sometimes be mistaken for the same thing, but they are actually very different. A riot is defined as “a violent public disorder; specifically: a tumultuous disturbance of the public peace by three or more persons assembled together and acting with a common intent”. The most important part of a peaceful protest is that it is PEACEFUL. The idea is to still protest a belief and make a difference, but since it is non-violent, it will be more effective. Wes Annac wrote an article for The Openhearted Rebel commenting on how he was against violent rioters, but would be happy to join the peaceful protesters. He says: “I’d be with the peaceful protesters, using protest to reclaim our rights in a world where you have to do big things to get the attention of the people in power” Annac is right-- doing small acts will not get the attention big issues like racial profiling need. Just by watching a peaceful protest, the importance of the subject their protesting is way more evident than that of a riot. People are chanting and singing about how we need to take back our rights and give power back to the people, and that is way more powerful than watching citizens and police officers fight to their death. A very popular movement all across America right now is Black Lives Matter. They have had many peaceful protests that have been very effective and contribute to the long fight for equality throughout the human race. On their website, they state their mission: “Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise” (Black Lives Matter). They are a movement that are trying to help fight for racial equality. They always try to keep violence out of their protests, but always with change, comes the resisters. Even though people are really starting to change their ways from violent rioting to peaceful protesting, there are still some stragglers that will not stop with the violence. Non-violent protests will almost be completely peaceful, but sometimes the protesters experience some violent acts. Because peaceful protests are such a new idea, not everyone is accustomed to the idea yet. Over time, more and more people will learn that they do not have to resort to violence to get their point across. Our country is still adjusting to the idea of peaceful protests, but they are a better and more effective way to protest people's opinion, and not get anyone hurt in the process.
I, as a white female, have never experienced any type of racial profiling aimed towards myself. However, I have read all all these stories and heard about all these people who have been a victim in a crime because of their skin color, and I realize how wrong this is. These people did not have a choice to be born the way we were, and they should not have to worry that they are going to get stopped by an officer just because of how they look. I cannot even begin to imagine how hard that would be to deal with, and no one should have to. When african americans rioted to protest racial profiling, they could be viewed as violent and aggressive, which would add to the opinions of some about the type of people they were because of their skin color. Riots are formed to protest unapproved ideas and actions when people’s words are not loud enough to be heard. Peaceful protests are a more powerful way to get the people’s beliefs and opinions to be heard, without violence or aggression. When the people fighting this crime are peaceful, it shows that they are not going to try to fight the officers, because they know that will only make matters worse. These protests help to ban everyone together, so that it is not just african americans and ethnic minorities fighting against this problem, but all people. We need to show that everyone, as a human race, cares about righting the wrong that is racial profiling.