''If Dr. Gates is really so concerned about profiling, how about if he can convince young Black criminals to stop committing violent crimes that get all Blacks profiled from time to time. I guess that’s not half so rewarding as playing the victim though, is it?''
Gates you see, made this minor matter into a case of racial profiling, which now is considered a horrible injustice. But used correctly, it’s an effective police tool that can save lives.
That’s because different groups do have varying criminal propensities. We’re talking about averages here. To say that one group is more apt (statistically) to commit a crime by no means implies that every member of the group does. But it’s a fact that the odds are higher with some groups than with others.
Most people instinctively know this, but are afraid to say it publicly. Nowadays, some people could lose their career over talking about it.
By profiling, I don’t mean arresting people based on their group and not their individual behavior. Of course not. But certain groups have more of a statistical propensity toward crime than others, and it’s not wrong for the police to take note of that.
Males and females, for example. Males are statistically much more likely to commit a violent crime than females. So you can profile by gender.
Or, you can profile by age and marital status. A twenty-year old single male is more likely to commit a violent crime than a thirty-year old married man. There’s something about marriage that reduces men’s criminal propensities (on average).
Now, about race. Black activists complain about Blacks being profiled. But there’s a reason for that. The reason is that Blacks have a much higher rate of violent crime than Whites do. That’s a fact.