“As Attorney General, I have repeatedly made clear that profiling by law enforcement is not only wrong, it is profoundly misguided and ineffective,” Holder said in a statement Monday. “Particularly in light of certain recent incidents we’ve seen at the local level, and the widespread concerns about trust in the criminal justice process, it’s imperative that we take every possible action to institute strong and sound policing practices.”
Obama and Holder’s new efforts on race and policing comes as new polls show a widening racial divide in America. According to the results of a new NBC News/Marist poll released Sunday, 47 percent of Americans say that they believe police apply different standards to Blacks and whites, while 44 percent disagree.
But among African-Americans, 82 percent say that the police apply different standards based on race, as compared to only 39 percent of white respondents. And in a new Bloomberg Politics poll, 53 percent of the American people say white and Black communities are further apart than since before Obama’s election.A majority polled agreed with the Ferguson decision, while most objected to the conclusion in the Garner case.
But other intangibles should be factored into this discussion. Since Obama took office in 2008, the number of hate groups has increased significantly from coast to coast. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks white supremacist groups, there are 1,018 active hate groups in the United States.
Experts say there are several factors that can be attributed to the rise in white supremacist groups: resentment over the changing racial demographics of the country, frustration over the lagging economy – and the election of Obama. Days after Obama’s historic election in 2008, some were celebrating a new “post-racial” America.
The fact is racism and discrimination still permeates our republic and it’s not a problem that can be solved by one Black man in the White House. Racism is a collective problem which calls for a collective solution.
What do you think?
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COMMENTARY: Racism Is Not The President’s Fault was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
