Respond to two of your colleagues’ postings who discussed a different social justice issue than you did. Explain the systemic barriers to effectively addressing the issue that they discussed.
SOPHIA
Contemporary social justice issue
This week I chose racial profiling when law enforcement targets an individual suspected of a crime because of their race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin (ACLU, 2023). An example of racial profiling is a 13-year-old named Stanley Davis III, who died after crashing his dirt bike while being chased by an officer in Boynton Beach, Florida (Zaru, 2022).
Have there been large-scale rallies and/or protests related to social justice?
There have been countless rallies and protests because of racial profiling. I will mention the rally held for Stanley Davis III. The residents of Boynton Beach, Florida, joined the family and friends of Stanley Davis III on January 1, 2023. Stanley was a fan of dirt bikes, many who attended the rally rode their bikes in honor of him (News, 2023).
If so, have the rallies or protests made a difference in addressing or furthering the issue? Why or why not?
There were many rallies and protest held for Stanley since his death. The residents protested outside the Boynton Beach police department (Salzbank, 2021). The protests and rallies made a difference, and the officer was fired following the completion of an internal affairs investigation (Eppinger, 2022).
How have policy, laws, and public views about the issue changed over time?
Disciplinary actions were taken when the city’s pursuit policies and procedures were violated.
Who holds power on the issue, and who lacks the power? What are the implications?
In this case, the community and law enforcement hold the power on this issue. No one lacked any power when they came together.
If you could promote social change in relation to the issue, what would the outcome look like?
If I could promote social change regarding racial profiling, the outcome would be to make it mandatory for all law enforcement to have psych evaluations before hire and once a year after hire.
