New York City was attacked by a terrorist group on September 11, 2001. Ever since then a lot of people have associated the Islamic group with terrorists throughout the country. Recently it has been noticed the the NYPD (New York Police Department) has been targeting people that they believe are Muslim, on a case of suspicion. In the early 1900's the NYPD had the city mapped out by where different ethnic groups had lived. The historians of New York City claim that nothing has changed over the course of history in the NYPD.
How can the Police Department stop targeting the Islamic groups in the city for suspicion? Why is it that still the Muslim community is still being targeted when we know they aren't a terrorist group?
I think that the Police Department could stop targeting the Islamic group by getting rid of the map of the different ethnic groups. The map gives the police a specific place to continuously target the Islams with. By getting rid of the map, over time the police would most likely give up trying to target certain areas to which Islams lived. I also think that the police could stop targeting by getting over the past and realizing that the Islams who live in America are not all like the small group of Islams who attacked on 9/11/01. It is wrong for the Islams to be all stereotyped as being corruptive when in fact it is not true. I think that the Muslim community is still being targeted because America wants to be as safe as we can be and for that we stay on high alert against Muslims. America is scared that it could happen again. It makes sense to be worried and to act this way but it is not acceptable to being so judgemental.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Jurnee. If the New York Police Department stopped using the ethnic group maps, there is a good chance that certain groups such as Muslims would stop being targeted. I also agree with Jurnee that it is very unfair that Muslims are stereotyped for events that occurred in the past, but as we have seen in class by looking the summer reading book All Souls and other sources it is hard for stereotypes to be dropped. During ninth grade civics class, I remember discussing stereotypes very in depth. A group being stereotyped is often treated very unfairly because not everyone in that group is exactly like another. Just because a small group of Muslims attacked the World Trade Center doesn’t mean that every Muslim is a terrorist. I am sure many people, including myself, were very affected by the September eleventh attack and in turn are afraid something like that may happen again and for that reason I believe that the NYPD is only trying to do there job in trying to keep their City safe.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Jurnee and Michaela, the only way that the NYPD could stop targeting Muslims of being terrorists is to get rid of the map of each ethnic group. Stereotyping is a huge part of this like Michaela had said; people are judging all Muslims on events that happened in the past but were very tragic. This is the issue because obviously not all Muslims are like those few people that attacked the World Trade Center and now many people, including the NYPD are not sure of how to create ideas on how to keep everyone safe. I think that this is a very hard situation that the police department is in because it is hard to try and keep everyone safe and given Muslims peoples past there first instinct is to stereotype a lot of people and think they will cause another devastation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Michaela and Jurnee. Getting rid of the map would help, but would not completely eradicate the problem. What really needs to be done is a closer examination of the stereotyping that is going on in the NYPD. Like shown in the movie "Crash", the police officers was extremely racist towards the black couple when there was really no reason for him to be. I see a similar situation evolving here with the targeting of the Muslim groups. The September 11th attacks happened over ten years ago. It is outlandish to think that Muslim are still being target because of there attacks that they most likely had nothing to do with. Muslim people are no different than any other people. They practice religion like billions of others and no where in their faith are terrorists attacks encouraged. If a change is truly wanted, it is going to take a lot more then removal of a map. The police officers involved in the stereotypes are going to need to change their thinking and realize that not all Muslims are terrorists.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Jurn, the New York Police Department could stop targeting the Islamic group by getting rid of the map of different ethnicities. The map only sets up the Islamic group; the map gives the authorities a specific place to keep on targeting them. With no map the police would stop checking only areas populated with the Islamic group. I agree with Michaela that it is extremely unfair that Muslims are stereotyped for events that occurred in the past. Over the course of our high school years, we have talked in depth about the tragic accident in September of 2001. I’ve learned that just because a small group of Muslims attacked our World Trade Center doesn’t make very Muslim prone to attack and terrorists. I think the reason for such targeting towards the Islamic group is only to protect their City, as it is their job. It makes sense that our NYPD is on the lookout for attacks but targeting and stereotypes are not necessary.
ReplyDeleteI agree with nate and jurnee. getting rid of the ethnic map would stop some problems but not all. Some cops will continue to target certain races and will always target them due to what has happened in the past. I do understand that the NYPD is only trying to protect New York but protecting and racism shouldn't go together. You can protect without targeting one racial group.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everybody before me that the ethnic map is a huge cause of contention over racism. Without it, the police would be left to make decisions more purely based on their judgments without being jaded by their opinions of their location. I believe that the Muslim community is still being targeted because people in general don't forget, and what happened on 9/11 was incredibly traumatic to many people. Even though the terrorist attacks are committed by small groups of extremists of a religion, the duty of the police is to protect people, and if that means that they have to pay extra attention to anyone who looks like they could be a terrorist, I am okay with that. However, I do not believe that police should discriminate against them. Although it is my personal opinion that holding prejudices is morally unjustified, I would rather have extra-vigilant police officers than laid-back officers who pay a legitimate, but small amount of attention to everyone.
ReplyDeleteI agree with my classmates that a way for the NYPD to try to stop the racist targets at the Muslims would be to first get ride of the ethnic map. Ethnicity has no connect to crime rates, just because a person who does that crime is different than 'white' all of a sudden race matters. It shouldn't and that is why NYPD needs to stop targeting Muslims.
ReplyDeleteI agree with my classmates to the point that the NYPD should stop using the ethnic map. But even if they do, I don't know how much that will help eliminate discrimination. The officers know where these groups all live now and it won't be forgotten just because the map is gone. Even though they may not try to be, people will always stereotype. I don't want to believe that and I hope I don't stereotype people, but everyone does even if they don't want or have to. I think that Muslims are still being targeted because September 11 is something nobody will ever forget. The officers on the force now were alive when it happened and many of them may have been in the city during it. Something with that great an impact will never be forgotten. But the officers need to realize that not all Muslims are bad people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone. As Jurnee said, they should get rid of the map because that is how the police and tracking where each ethnic group is. I think that Muslims are targeted because of stereotypes. I think that because the majority of people were alive during 9/11 that people will hold the stereotype for a while. However, like Kayla said, not all Muslims are bad people. Hopefully people will soon realize that and th Muslims won't be targeted anymore.
ReplyDeleteI agree with my classmates above. Muslims should not be targeted by police do to an attack over ten years ago. Like Jurnee said, the police should get rid of the ethnic group maps that they have. I believe that the maps are crucial for this article because they are helping the police target the Islamic group, which is not right. Our country thinks that people that are Muslims or have Muslim ancestors are automatically thinking of a way to blow up our nation, when many of them are coming to the United States for a better life like we discussed in class. It is very hard for the stereotype of "Muslims being terrorists" to be ignored, but I believe that everyone needs to get over the past. I do also agree with Michaela when she said that the New York Police Department is trying to keep us safe, but I don't think that they should go to extremes about the matter.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of my classmates above. If the NYPD got rid of the map of the ethnic groups, it would give them less of an incentive to target them constantly. If they have the map, they are more likely to take advantage of it. If they got rid of the map, they would be forced to find different ways to find the suspects. I believe that the muslims are still being targeted even though we know they aren't a terrorist group because the NYPD has access to the maps. The muslims are constantly being blamed for crimes committed against the United States today because of the 9/11 attacks in 2001, because the United States has lost their trust. As many of my classmates mentioned before, just because a small group of muslims were responsible for one of the most tragic things to occur to our country, doesn't meant that they should continue to be blamed for all of the tragedies occurring now. Yes, the NYPD is only trying to do their jobs and keep us safe, but doing so in a way that is discriminating against a certain group is not the way to do it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of my classmates above me. if the NYPD gets rid of the ethnic group map then it won't be as easy to target Muslims. I also think that American stereotype Muslims because of what happened during September 11th. I disagree with people stereotyping but either way people are going to do it.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be very difficult for the NYPD to stop targeting Islamic groups, only because it has been set in peoples' minds that Muslims are linked to terrorism. But I believe if they recognized that all races act in forms of terrorism or violence, there would be less of an issue. I also agree with my classmates' thoughts on getting rid of the ethnic group map. Although, I do not think that getting rid of the map would erase peoples' beliefs and thoughts. It would be a much longer process. I think the Islamic group is still targeted because the NYDP and many others want some one to blame for all of the lives lost on September 11, 2001. Many people may believe that if we "protect" ourselves from the Islamic group then we are doing something good. But by protecting us, we are hurting others. Also there are many other problems in America that could use more focus.
ReplyDeleteStereotyping is always going to be there, whether it is fair or unfair. The New York Police Department should definitely eliminate the ethnic map, because I think it will cut down some of the stereotyping but not all. September 11 attacks is an unfortunate event that Muslims were the masterminds. This being said, not every Muslim is a terrorist. I think the NYPD think that they are doing a favor to New York City, trying to prevent anything like September 11th from happening again, but they are doing it in a racist way. Not only the NYPD is guilty for stereotyping, I think when people from New York City see Muslims it automatically reminds them of September 11th and the police are probably guilty of this too. Stereotyping is wrong and needs to be stopped, it may just be fueling another fire.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone above that to dispose of the map which locates the different areas of separate ethnicity will somewhat stall or stop the targeting of Islamic groups. However though it will not entirely end the targeting and singling out of the Islamic group because as Jurnee, Kayla and others said that ever since September 11, 2001 and other attempted acts of terrorism preformed by a small group of Muslims cause most people especially law enforcement stereotype and target Islamic people in order to try and protect themselves and be alert. Since such devastating events that are linked to terrorists and terrorists being from Islamic background, people think that to be safe and for the NYPD to seek out terrorists, they must stereotype and single the Islamic people out. This is unfair to the groups targeted and mapped, especially the Islamic cultured peoples because certainly not all or many for this matter are terrorists or linked to terrorism.
ReplyDeleteThe NYPD are most likely targeting the Islamic group because they were hit very close to home on 9/11 and they are still feeling angry towards the terrorist groups. Racial profiling is the cause of this problem and the only way to stop this discrimination is to teach them the difference in features of the middle eastern groups. Because it is so hard for them to distinguish between all of the races, they most likely find it easier just to say, "that guy looks middle eastern" instead of saying Pakistani or Saudi Arabian. I do not believe that this will stop for some time though because of the tragic events that took place in their city on September 11th.
ReplyDeleteWhen the planes hit the world trade center on 9/11, the press coverage stated that the hijackers were Muslim. They did not say a radical Muslim group that is generally not associated wiht the religion, but just Muslim. That stayed with not only New York City, but also the rest of America. It would be very difficult for the NYPD to stop targeting those who practice this religion and anyone who looks like a "terrorist" because the city is afraid of these people because of the sterotypes. I agree with Trevor, getting rid of the ethnic map will not totally remove the problem of targeting. Some NYPD officers with their own steretypes against certain races would still continue to target them.
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