The conflict of racial profiling has become a huge issue in the United States in the last few years. I am interested in researching racial profiling because I am a minority that is living in the United States. The issues of prejudice and racial profiling has been present in the United States for quite a while; however, I feel that the importance of this issue is increasing because the tension between minorities and the government has increased. If this tension increases, multiple problems will arise. I do not have any personal experiences dealing with what is described as racial profiling. However, I do have the experience of watching communities stick together after unarmed minorities were man slaughtered by the police.  I am qualified to write about this topic because I have done research on the topic by reading multiple sources, such as articles, interviews, and peer reviewed journals. I am also qualified to write about this research question because I have collected sources that have differing opinions rather than focus on one opinion about the topic.

Due to racial profiling, blacks are more likely to be targeted by the police. "The Disproportionate Risk of Driving While Black" claims that blacks in the US are more likely to be stopped by the police.  The value of this article prompts people to consider that if blacks are being targeted more than whites for traffic stops, then blacks could be targeted more serious crimes.  Sharon Lafraniere and Andrew W. Lehern's experience as journalists for New York Times and writing other articles on this topic makes them credible. They also use different statistics about blacks being stopped by the police, which makes them more credible. This article's bias is that racial profiling is unfair. 

Some people have the opinion that racial profiling isn't real. The article "Proactive Policing is not 'Racial Profiling'" uses the case of Vonderrit D. Myers as evidence of this. MacDonald further states that police officers acting on legitimate suspicion is legal and is in no way racial profiling. The major values are of the police and communities high in crime. With the police being accused of racial profiling, changes could be made to policies, resulting in the police being less effective. As a result of police receiving backlash, communities that have high crime rates will be less protected. The author's bias is that profiling is not solely about race but rather the police doing their job. MacDonald is credible because she has written other articles regarding the topic of racial profiling.  

The difference between the arrest rate of blacks and other racial groups are significant. The article "FBI Data: Racial Profiling Is Real ... and Ferguson Is Just the Tipping Point" states there is racial disparity of arrest in the US that worsens; only 173 of 3538 police departments in the US arrest black people at a rate equal to or lower than other racial groups. The major values are of blacks and the police. The system of identifying potential suspects that the police uses could be altered as well as negative backlash from black communities. Blacks could develop a distrust of the police force because they could feel less safe due to the black arrest rate compared to other. Julissa Catalan's bias the outstanding difference in blacks arrest in comparison to other races is a problem that has been increasing. The author, Catalan, is credible because she has written various articles about the subject matter of racial profiling. Additionally, Catalan uses data collected from the FBI. 

This topic is controversial because many individuals over the past few years have advocated their opinion on the United States police system and of the use of racial profiling in connection with minorities. In addition to this, minorities are affected by the use of racial profiling in settings such as the airport. However, other individuals argue that racial profiling is not an issue in the United States. The main problem with this topic is the definition of what racial profiling is and whether or not it is a real issue. Two of my sources, "The Disproportionate Risk of Driving While Black" and "FBI Data: Racial Profiling Is Real ... and Ferguson Is Just the Tipping Point" agree that racial profiling, especially against blacks, is a problem in the United States. These articles supports that there is a huge difference between how often blacks are stopped by the police as opposed to other races. The article "Proactive Policing is not 'Racial Profiling'" disagrees with the concept of racial profiling and what it is. This perspective suggests that the severity of the issue of racial profiling is not great. My perspective on racial profiling is that it exists and is a humongous issue in the United States, so the articles "FBI Data: Racial Profiling Is Real ... and Ferguson Is Just the Tipping Point" and "The Disproportionate Risk of Driving While Black" support my perspective. The article "Proactive Policing is not 'Racial Profiling'" is different in my perspective in that it supports the idea that racial profiling does not exist,  I could modify this research topic by including other minorities that are affected by racial profiling; for example, I could include Muslims as a minority. 

