Stop and Frisk Controversy free essay sample

For young African American men, the constant threat posed by stop and frisk is a concern when leaving the house, walking around the neighborhood, and going out with friends. If they fail to show identification, obey orders from police or respond as expected, they can be harassed, beaten or worse. The stop and frisk law has also became a sexual abuse issue. There have been tons of reports of inappropriate touching, sexual harassment, humiliation and violence at the hands of police officers. The effects of these abuses can be devastating and often leave behind emotional, psychological, and social problems. Young men have reported police officers forcing them to take there clothing off in public, groping there genitals and even â€Å"credit carding† in between there butt cheeks which is when you slide your hand through to check for drugs being held in the anus without wearing gloves. â€Å"they go hard, grabbing stuff they’re not supposed to† said a 17 year old named Garnell from the south Bronx. We will write a custom essay sample on Stop and Frisk Controversy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Even when the victims have told the officer directly that they cant do that or don’t touch there, they have said that they can do whatever they want, and have been arrested them for resisting arrest and even resulted in police brutality cases. The experience of being stopped and frisked by police often has an emotional impact on people. This can make people feel unsafe, afraid to leave their homes, and afraid of the police. Many people explained how getting stopped by police had changed the way they lived. For example people described changing their clothing style, or hairstyles, changing their routes or avoiding walking on the street, or carrying around documents such as ID or mail, to provide police officers if stopped. The stop and frisk law is undoubtedly an extreme case of profiling and should be illegal. The statistics speak for themselves, 85% of the people stopped and frisked have been Black or Latino. Interviewers said there has been an increase in stops and frisks of Muslim, Arab, and South Asian people since September 11, 2001. It was documented that even young Black or Latino children have been seen getting stopped on their way back from school making the children feel like criminals even when innocent of a crime. Homeless People who use the public shelter system are also singled out for stops and frisks by police. Interviewers described officers waiting outside of shelters and stopping people that they see coming out. The practice of police entering shelters to search people inside was described as â€Å"routine. † Harassing the less fortunate people that are minding their own business on the street. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. The Fourth Amendment is clearly breached by the stop and frisk law. The power has obviously been abused by the police authorities. Race, religion, homeless or not, profiling and sexual abuse is unacceptable. In a sense the stop and frisk law was good on paper, but in a world of corruption, sexual abuse, and racism, we are not capable of using the stop and frisk law with responsibility, until then we’ll have to live without it.