End Racial Profiling Act of 2011 (S.1670)

TAKE ACTION TO SUPPORT THE END RACIAL PROFILING ACT!

TAKE ACTION NOW! The End Racial Profiling Act was introduced to the Senate on October, 6, 2011. This landmark legislation aims to eliminate racial and religious profiling that has singled out various minority communities, including Sikh Americans, in the United States. Send a message to your Senators asking them to co-sponsor the bill.

WHAT IS THE BILL ABOUT?

Racial profiling is a law enforcement tactic where individuals are treated as suspects based on characteristics unrelated to criminal conduct - such as race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, and perceived immigration status. Not only is it wrong, profiling is ineffective. It diverts limited law enforcement resources away from focusing on individualized suspicious behavior by relying on race- or religion-based profiles. It also violates the fundamental civil rights of communities by treating them differently than other Americans.

The End Racial Profiling Act prohibits law enforcement agents and agencies from engaging in racial profiling. It does so by:

• Requiring federal law enforcement agencies to provide training on racial profiling issues, to have procedures for investigating and responding to complaints of racial profiling and to cease existing practices that permit racial profiling;

• Supporting law enforcement initiatives that do not result in profiling; 
  

• Creating privacy protections for individuals whose data is collected; and
  

• Allowing an individual who was racially profiled the right to file lawsuits to seek redress.

WHY IS THIS BILL IMPORTANT TO YOU AND THE SIKH AMERICAN COMMUNITY?

Since September 11, 2001, Sikh Americans have become all too familiar with instances of racial profiling by the United States government. The most prevalent example is the additional security screening of Sikh American travelers at airports because of their turbans.

In addition, the broader South Asian, Muslim, and Arab communities living in the United States have all been targeted for heightened scrutiny by law enforcement based on their religion, ethnicity, national origin, or nationality. Examples include frequent searches by airport security and border inspection officers, as well as targeted surveillance of South Asian places of worship by federal and local law enforcement. The passage of this act will be an important step to bringing an end to these practices.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

TAKE ACTION NOW! Send a message to your Senators urging them to co-sponsor this historic piece of legislation or thanking them if they have already expressed support. Personalize your letter to make it even more effective. Tell your Senators why putting an end to racial profiling is important to you!