America’s Differential Policing Equates to a Terrorist State for People of Color
Differential policing is the act of targeting people of color more than whites. People of color are more likely to be stopped and questioned by police, searched, and arrested than white people who commit the same crimes or act the same way. The result is an environment in which black people are always seen as criminals, preventing the possibility of achieving equality in America, since achieving equality means having the right to participate in society without being treated as if you’re doing something wrong simply because of your race.
Oppression doesn’t simply mean being victimized or defeated by negative behavior. Victim and oppressed are not accurate terms in this context. So what does it actually mean? Oppression is living within an environment where systematic forces negatively affect your daily existence. These forces are rooted in attitudes deep within society’s psyche on both a personal and institutional level. Minorities have historically been treated differently based solely on their group identity rather than their individual merits. In some cases, this has led to extreme violence against members of certain groups. Unfortunately, we still see it today. When we use expressions like people don’t see color, we disregard centuries of racism and its ugly effects: mass incarceration and police brutality against African Americans. Racism cannot be viewed in black and white terms; we need context to understand why racial issues persist in America.
The use of force or violence against persons or property to further political or social objectives is terrorism. In simple terms, terrorism is when one group uses threats and violent acts to scare another group into action. To control public fear and create a dramatic display designed to get attention from news sources and governmental agencies, terrorists specifically target civilians. While there are many different types of terrorists who may be motivated by religious beliefs, nationalistic goals, or racial prejudice, they all share common goals: 1) to incite panic; 2) to generate attention; 3) cause chaos; 4) disrupt normal activity; 5) cost money (resources); 6) destroy personal relationships; 7) provoke revenge attacks that will generate more publicity. Terrorists can use both overt and covert tactics, which means you might not know you’re being targeted until it’s too late. Racist profiling contributes to a high crime rate among poor communities.
Over the years, the US has fought many wars overseas in an attempt to spread democracy. What often gets left out of these narratives is that it’s not just another nation-state America attacks, but its people at home. In America, excessive arrests, mass incarceration, profiling, police brutality, gang injunctions, and stopping and frisking youth are all signs of terrorism. They are carried out through extrajudicial means (i.e., done without due process) and in ways that disproportionately target communities of color by racial profiling. Foreign terrorists are trying to destroy our way of life; surely, we can see that we already practice terrorism against black and brown bodies on American soil. It is a form of psychological and physical terror. More must be done to ensure people of color don’t feel singled out or targeted by police if they haven’t committed a crime. They will continue to feel as if they are under siege with nowhere to turn, which will eventually have societal repercussions. Instead, authorities need to address anti-black racism at every level: from individual cops making poor decisions within their community up to systematic policies across cities and states. It’s time for America to start owning up to its past mistakes and create something that works long-term.
