Opinion
Senator Ben Cardin: We must end racial profiling in America
Racial profiling — the targeting of individuals because of race, ethnic identity, national origin or religion — has no place in our nation. The recent, tragic and avoidable shooting death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed African-American teenager in Florida, has focused national attention on the need to make sure minority communities are protected from hate crimes and racial profiling, a practice that is ineffective in crime prevention, undermines effective law enforcement and erodes civil rights.
Racial profiling demonizes whole communities. Following the murder of Trayvon Martin, I met with members of Maryland’s faith and civil rights communities and heard about repeated incidents in which racial profiling has been used to target minorities for suspicion.
The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution clearly states that “no state shall … deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Last October, in keeping with the Constitution, I introduced legislation that would put an end to racial profiling and ensure that all Americans have “equal protection under the laws.”
