Nationwide Law Firm Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Looks at a Disturbing New Trend in Racial Profiling
Racial profiling is a longstanding issue rooted deeply in the history of the United States. While various online communities have played a significant role in support of the recent Black Lives Matter movement, many social platforms have also revealed a disturbing new trend in racial profiling. White citizens calling 911 to report — and in some cases fabricate — an activity that they deem suspicious or illegal, exclusively because the alleged wrongdoer is not white.
“It is bad enough that racial profiling continues to be carried out on a daily basis by some individuals in law enforcement, as well as others who are acting in a public or private policing capacity such as malls security guards,” commented a spokesperson from nationwide law firm Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP. “However, when individual white citizens feel authorized and empowered to call 911, they are adhering to harmful stereotypes that have been embedded in our society.”
How to Fight Back Against Racial Profiling
As for ways to hinder this trend, there are a few options on the table. One of them includes making racially motivated emergency calls to law enforcement illegal. For example, in October 2020, officials in San Francisco unanimously passed the Caution Against Racially and Exploitative Non-Emergencies Act, which is better (and more cleverly) known as the CAREN Act.
“Citizens in San Francisco who make a false emergency call with the intent to discriminate against an individual, impinge upon an individual’s rights, or cause specific harm to an individual based on that person’s color, race, creed, religion, ancestry, place of birth, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, weight, disability, or height, can be found in violation of the CAREN Act,” commented a spokesperson from Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, which is headquartered in New York, and maintains offices in Pennsylvania, California, Delaware and Atlanta. “Victims of discrimination are entitled to pursue a civil course of action to recover damages of at least $1,000 plus attorney fees.”
Another option for preventing this trend — and one that is gaining traction — is to expose those who continue to racially profile in the court of public opinion, a.k.a. social media.
“Some people who balk at the idea of facing legal repercussions for discriminating — especially if they live in a community in which local authorities and other powerful individuals and organizations endorse their racism — may indeed think twice if it means having their name, picture and shameful behavior broadcast across the internet,” commented a spokesperson from Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, which since being founded in 1995 has served as lead or co-lead counsel in numerous high-profile cases that ultimately provided significant recoveries to consumers, employees, investors and injured individuals.
The Importance of Education
Ideally, however, the best way to handle this trend is through the familiar staples of communication and education.
“The growing incidence of emergency calls that are entirely rooted in discrimination reveals that there is an undercurrent of racially-based fear in our society,” commented a spokesperson from Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP. “Yes, we have come a long way in the last several decades. But we have not — by a longshot — achieved racial equality, and any belief to the contrary is not just erroneous, but it is dangerous. We still have a great deal of work to do, and we will need all of our leaders and influencers in every arena to make it clear that discrimination and racism are not tolerated, either morally or legally.”
