Page "Racial profiling" Paragraph 47

After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, according to Johnson, a new debate concerning the appropriateness of racial profiling in the context of terrorism took place.

According to Johnson, prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks the debate on racial profiling within the public targeted primarily African-Americans and Latino Americans with enforced policing on crime and drugs.

The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon changed the focus of the racial profiling debate from street crime and “ driving while Black ” to terrorism and “ flying while Arab .” According to a June 4 – 5, 2002 FOX News / Opinion Dynamics Poll, 54 % of Americans approved of using “ racial profiling to screen Arab male airline passengers .” A 2002 survey by Public Agenda tracked the attitudes toward the racial profiling of Blacks and people of Middle Eastern descent.

In this survey, 52 % of Americans said there was “ no excuse ” for law enforcement to look at African Americans with greater suspicion and scrutiny because they believe they are more likely to commit crimes, but only 21 % said there was “ no excuse ” for extra scrutiny of Middle Eastern people.