Racial issues have been and have always been a big part of our society. Every time the news is turned on headlines reveal the many different issues in our society today. These issues can range from the unfair treatment of minorities in the justice system, to the fatal police shootings of minorities who are not even armed. In today's society, many people believe that everyone is born equal and free. It would be great if this was true, but this assumption is not true. Even though people are born free they are not born equal. People who are born in poverty or even just born a minority in this country will not be treated the same as someone who is white. When it comes to crime this is a major issue. Many individuals believe that there is a correlation between crime and race due to the idea that minorities commit more crimes; however, in reality this is not the case. People of color are more likely to be targeted, caught, and punished for their crimes, while individuals are more likely to be let off the hook, or given a fine rather than being punished for their actions.

Racial discrimination has been a problem for as long as anyone can remember. Slavery was a big issue in the United States. Slavery ended by the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln; however, many slaves had no knowledge of this freedom until two and a half years later (Crosley). Even though slavery ended many white individuals began to fight or campaign to force blacks back into slavery. (Crosley). Even with the abolishment of slavery, there are still racial issues that go on in society today. “Racial caste is alive and well in America. Here are a few facts... There are more African Americans under correctional control today in prison or jail... than enslaved in 1850” (Alexander). This information reveals that there are more blacks in jail or on probation now than the total amount of enslaved African Americans in the eighteen hundred. This is a result of black individuals being targeted and punished for their crimes committed.

When dealing with the treatment of people of color by law enforcement there are always two sides to the situation. One side entails the individuals who believe that the treatment of African Americans and Hispanics are equal to that of Caucasians when it comes to treatment by police officers. The other side involves people who believe the fairness of police treatment is not equal for African Americans and Hispanics when compared to Caucasians. A poll done by the PBS News Hour presented the views on the fairness of police treatment. When answered by “Whites” and “African-Americans” the poll revealed that forty-two percent of white individuals believe that the treatment of African Americans by police officers were equal to that of whites, whereas fifty percent believed that the treatment was unfair (Booker). For example, President Donald Trump would be in the percent of people who are white and believe that the treatment of black and white individuals is equal. When asked about urban violence Trump “pointedly painted black neighborhoods as murderous wastelands... killing fields where violence is prevalent and where blood permanently stains the streets” (Peterson). Donald Trump is aiming his hands at black neighborhoods to justify his attacks on African Americans in America. He is focusing on “young black men as emissaries of civic unrest who use violence to hold neighborhoods in fear” to make the public view blacks as less or the cause of the increase of crime in certain areas (Peterson). This is why President Donald Trump “favors police stop and frisk polices that allow law enforcement to apprehend black men without probable cause as they walk along city streets” (Peterson). This displays how Donald Trump notices that there is a correlation between crime and race, when in reality he is creating this unfair treatment towards African Americans. Trump has allowed individuals to be randomly checked based on the color of their skin, which then creates more opportunities for them to get into trouble, making it seem like there is a correlation between crime and race. The percentage of white individuals that believed that the treatment of African Americans is equal were equivalent to that of white individuals that believed African Americans were unequal. According to the poll, a staggering 90 percent of African Americans believed that the treatment of African Americans by police forces were not equal when compared to treatment of white individuals. Eight percent believed that treatment was equal (Booker). For the eight percent of African Americans that believe that the treatment of blacks and whites are equal have obviously been oblivious to the news, social media, and all the fatal police shootings.

For the large percent of white individuals and the small percent of black individuals that believe that the treatment of people of different of color is equal are wrong. According to an article called “Some police guilty of black crime implicit bias,” it discusses the study “Shoot, Don't Shoot” (Fridell). For this study subjects were sat down in front of a computer screen and pictures were flashed that showed either a white or black man. Each man was either holding a gun or a random object like a cell phone. The test subject would then hit the “shoot” or “don't shoot” key depending on their reaction of if the man was a threat or not based on the image (Fridell). In the end, “the studies suggested that implicit biases affect these actions, for example, in some studies people were quicker to shoot an unarmed black man than an unarmed white man” (Fridell). This further reveals that people of color are more likely to get shot due to implicit bias and stereotypes individuals have created against them. A Department of Justice report released “looking at the use of deadly force by Philadelphia police” showed that police officers are also accustomed to implicit bias and “threat perception failure” which is when the officer believes that the person is armed when in reality the individual is not. These failures were also more commonly found when the individual was black (Fridell). This reveals that there is not a correlation between race and crime, but rather people of color getting targeted based on the color of their skin. A situation that accurately displays this issue would be the use of drugs. According to Paul Butler “The war on drugs is the primary tool in creating today’s caste system. Since the war on drugs began approximately thirty years ago, the U.S penal population has almost sextupled, growing from around 300,000 to two million” (Butler 1047). This shows that about half a million people are in jail for a drug offense. The majority of these impositions are for these drug offenses are African Americans or Hispanics. In seven states, 80 percent to 90 percent of imprisoned drug offenders are black (Butler 1048). More than half imprisoned drug offenders are African Americans, but it is not apparent that African Americans have an increased drug use compared to any other racial group. According to a study done in Seattle, “Law enforcement officers target inner-city minorities; one study in Seattle showed that officers more frequently surveilled open-air drug markets even though most citizen complaints regarded suspected drug use in residences, that officers targeted a downtown drug market even though the frequency of transactions was higher in an outdoor drug market in a white neighborhood, that officers arrested black dealers far more often than white dealers even though white dealers were plainly visible” (Butler 1048). 

In the next argument, Lewis Loflin an advocate for “individual liberty and individual freedom”, which is the belief that people are free to exercise rights out of government control. Loflin states statistics to display why there is a correlation seen between race and crime rates. The statistics stated were, “from 1976 to 2005, blacks committed over 52 percent of all murders” (Loflin). Another statistic was of 369 murders, 160 were white/Hispanic, 198 were black. Of the 479 arrested, 141 were white, 306 were black or 64% (Loflin). These statistics, in my opinion, are irrelevant due to the face that Loflin does not state the financial status of the people who are committing these crimes. Loflin’s argument is that there is a correlation between crime and race between African Americans and Hispanics who were arrested more often than white individuals. White individuals often have the ability to buy their way out of situations that they often encounter. This reveals how there is a lower percentage of white individuals that are getting caught and punished for their crimes committed. African Americans and Hispanics, on the other hand do not receive the same forms of treatment that white individuals receive. Loflin makes the argument that African Americans and other minorities are the main cause of crime rates increasing in certain areas; however, he does not mention that a high percent of these people living in impoverished areas, which is where police officers are most frequently checking for crimes. African Americans and other minorities are the majority of people living in poverty in the United States. This could explain why they are the ones who are getting in trouble and are being punished for many crimes because they are being frequently being targeted.

Not only are African Americans more likely to be targeted and punished for their crimes, but they are also more likely to be accused of a crime that they did not commit due to the United States corrupt judicial system. Wrongful conviction could be one of the worst things to happen to an individual. Their life could be completely fine, but in an instant, they could be wrongfully accused and put in jail for crime they did not commit. There are many things that can influence wrongful conviction, which often times include gender and race. According to Journal of African American Studies, “wrongful conviction increases with statistical significance when the perpetrator is a Black man, the victim is a White woman, and the crime is rape and/or homicide”. This reveals that even if this black man was innocent his chances of being accused of this crime that he did not commit would increase just because he is a black man and the “victim” is a white woman. (Smith and Hattery). In one of the studies done on the population of exonerates showed that out of 150 cases, 105 or 70 percent were African American. (Smith and Hattery). Hard to believe that out of 150 cases 70 percent of them were African Americans who were found innocent after being pledged guilty of the crime. Or is it? This is not surprising considering blacks and minorities are not only targeted and punished for the crimes they commit they are even wrongly accused just because of the color of their skin and stereotypes.

In the end, racism will continue to be a serious matter in our society and nothing will change anytime soon due to the influence of Donald Trump in office. People will continue to stereotype and judge others based on the age, gender, race and many other qualities. One step that could be taken would be to teach the next generation to not base their judgment based on the color of someone's skin. Teach them that someone is not less or more based on the color of their skin but rather base it on how they act and portray them- selves. Another step that could be taken is for police officer not to racially profile and target someone based on stereotypes. Treat everyone the same way and the correlation between crime and race would disappear. Finally, the government and judicial system should treat everyone equally. White individuals should not be let off the hook, while blacks have to suffer in prison if they commit the same crime. Give them the same punishment and then there will definitely be no correlation between crime and race.
