john jota leaños

Racial profiling is the targeting of people fitting certain ethnic profiles. Stopped and investigated simply because of the color of their skin, communitieis of color have long protested this unwritten policy. Law enforcement claims this practice does not occur. There’s a "blue wall of silence" that muffles the complaints against racial profiling; however, studies by the ACLU and other organizations nationwide (even the DOJ) show that racial profiling does exis,t and that officers constantly use this "discretionary power" that is clearly against the Fourth Amendment. Although a majority of incidents are in the African-American community, other racial groups are also frequently targeted for "driving while black/brown" ( as the ACLU and others have called it). Local law enforcement officers have been known to stop young Asians and Latinos because they fit a "profile" or "type" (i.e., gangster, hoodlum, etc.) If the person contains more melanin, the consequences can be worse, as dark-skinned Pilipinos, Latinos, Chinese, Vietnamese, Burmese, Thai, and others have been repeatedly harassed, stopped because of their appearance.This occurs in other government agencies also, such as in the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS), US. Customs, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as well. People have been detained at the border; immigrants have not been allowed in the country; citizens have been harassed through airport customs, and others have been illegally detained in the name of our "war against terrorism." All of these immigrants and citizens have faced this prejudice due to their skin color, nationality, or accents.

The practice of racial profiling within Asian and Latino communities has its historical roots in the legalized mistreatment of early immigrants. Examples of this include the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Japanese internment camps, and the exploitation of Pilipinos and Mexicans on Californian farms. Programs like the Bracero program brought Mexicans to work in the fields, then later deported them when they were unwanted. In 1992, during the L.A. "Riots", L.A. County sheriffs and INS agents orchestrated sting operations targeting immigrant "undesirables."

"justice is in the eye of the beholder" is our response to the evil prejudice of racial profiling. The individuals who engage in this practice in law enforcement dehumanize Latino and Asian communities with their tactics; thus, we believe we have no true justice in this country because we are types; we are threats; we are dangers, instead of being treated as the humans we are.

As long as justice is based on our skin color, nationality, or accent, it is a farce, a game. And we are the hunted.

Once our communities realize the injustice of this game, we should work to change the rules immediately. Or, if we do not, we will end up like the figures in our billboard: stuck in the crosshairs of the hunter, waiting for our eminent fate.