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Racism in America

After visiting the website below, please discuss the following:

Is there racially motivated unconscious bias in our society? If so, how do we become aware of these biases, educate ourselves, and move forward constructively? What role can the criminal justice system take in improving public relationships and in educating themselves and the community on race issues? The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow

Source: The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow (2002): Public Broadcasting System. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/

A 19-year-old African American male living in an upper-middle class suburban neighborhood in Fremont, California, reported that he was stopped and questioned four times in two weeks by different officers. On one occasion, the conversation went this way: Officer: What are you doing here?

Teen: I’m jogging, sir.

Officer: Why are you in this neighborhood?

Teen: I live here sir.

Officer: Where?

Teen: Over there, in that big house on the hill.

Officer: Can you prove that? Show me your I.D.

On another occasion, when he was jogging, a different officer stopped him and asked (referring to the very expensive jogging shoes he was wearing), “Where did you get those shoes?” When the boy answered that he had bought them, the next question was, “Where do you live?” When the teen answered, “in that big house on the hill,” the officer apologized and went on his way.

Describe in detail all the potential negative consequences from this police incident. What else do we need to know about this incident to determine whether the officer questioning the teen was legitimate or related to racial profiling? How can community policing be incorporated into this community to meet the needs of a better community-policing partnership?