Quotation: On the Issue of Racial Profiling (I)

“After 9/11, Middle Eastern and South Asian communities in the United States have become the most recent victims of racial backlash. What bargain is being offered to them? For many, their only resource is to drape their homes, cars, places of business, and bodies with the American flag, in hopes that this positive claiming of American identity is sufficient to ward off legal and extralegal violence. In the months following 9/11, over 1,000 incidents of hate violence were reported. In addition to these macroaggressions, microaggressions directed against Middle Eastern and South Asian persons and communities are also thwarting their pathway to belonging in America.”

Robert S. Chang, “Essay: (Racial) Profiles in Courage, or can we be Heroes Too?” (1996:356–357). www.albanylawreview.org/archives/66/2/RacialProfilesinCourageOrCanWeBeHeroesToo.pdf

Any position that disassociates racial profiling from vigilantism is a politically irresponsible position.