Tuesday, September 25, 2001

Racial profiling laws face challenges after attacks
By James Zwilling
Staff Reporter

Texas’ new racial profiling laws, which took effect Sept. 1, may be challenged by policing agencies following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks against the United States, assistant professor of criminal justice Chip Burns said Tuesday.

Burns said there will likely be legislation aimed at reserving the rights of policing agencies to profile certain individuals, especially at airports.

“There will be heavy support (for racial profiling) by the general public who are not happy with the threats,” Burns said. “There will be even more people who will support racial profiling at the airport.”

The new Texas law aimed at policing agencies defines racial profiling as “a law enforcement-initiated action based on an individual’s race, ethnicity or national origin rather than on the individual’s behavior.”

Public opinion regarding the acceptance of racial profiling is a matter of whether Americans feel national security is more important than individual rights, Burns said.

“There has already been a restriction on individual rights,” Burns said. “In times like these, we clamp down.”

However, Joseph Thompson, media representative of the Texas’ American Civil Liberties Union said the public will not support legislation allowing security officials and policing agencies profiling privileges.

“Right now,” Thompson said, “Americans are scared. I’m an American, I’m scared. But still, we cannot give up our civil liberties. That means the terrorists are winning.”

Burns said it is hard to tell if racial profiling is needed. He said the debate goes back to crime prevention and whether people will be willing to give up some of their individual rights.

“You are going to see different groups of people targeted,” Burns said. “You already are (seeing groups from the Middle East being targeted). There’s already been a restriction on individual rights.”

Thompson said his agency will do everything to make sure that citizens are not losing their rights.

“It’s our job as part of the ACLU to make sure that individual’s rights aren’t being violated,” Thompson said. “Racial profiling is a violation of those rights.”

Thompson said most racial profiling cases in America tend to involve African Americans and Hispanics but they can also include other nationalities.

“We will probably be dealing with a lot more people with backgrounds from the Middle East,” Thompson said. “Our main goal is to let those individuals know that we are here to protect them.”

Thompson said Americans of all ethnic backgrounds need to unite in times like this.

“It would be very easy for the United States to turn their backs on people of foreign descent,” Thompson said. “But we don’t want to repeat history. We have worked very hard, and continue to work very hard, to make sure Americans have their freedom protected. Now is not the time to falter.”

James Zwilling
j.g.zwilling@student.tcu.edu