“Driving while black” refers to allegations of racism in American police, where black drivers are more likely to be stopped and subject to vehicle searches without just cause. This is due to profiling of darker-skinned Americans, a problem in the US for centuries. Notable black figures report being stopped for this reason, but law enforcement agencies refute claims of profiling. “Flying while Muslim” is a related concept.
Driving while black (DWB) is an American slang term referring to allegations of racism in American police. According to people who believe that racism and racial prejudice are common problems in the American police force, black drivers are much more likely to be stopped than white drivers and may be subject to fringe law enforcement techniques such as vehicle searches without just cause. Some people prefer the broader “driving while brown” encompassing all color drivers, rather than just black drivers.
This slang term is a pun that refers to a real-life crime, driving while intoxicated (DWI). People suggesting that black drivers be profiled by police officers point out that just as drivers who move or behave erratically are stopped on charges of intoxication, dark-skinned drivers are stopped by police forces. order that they suspect they have done something illegal.
Profiling of darker-skinned Americans by law enforcement and the community at large has been a problem in the United States for centuries. The nation’s history of slavery, segregation, and racism has left a complicated legacy. Black Americans have historically been considered a criminal element, and black people of all social classes have reported incidents where they have been accused or suspected of criminal activity because of their skin color.
Law enforcement agencies can stop people for a variety of reasons, ranging from alerting a driver to a broken spy to arresting someone with a criminal warrant. People who complain that they were stopped for driving while black argued that they were not behaving suspiciously or breaking any law and that they were stopped just because they were black, rather than because the law enforcement officer he had a public safety problem. Black driving can be dangerous for people in predominantly white and highly racist communities, especially in former sunset cities, and continues to be a problem. In 2008, for example, a major scandal in Texas involved the profiling of black drivers by white police officers.
Notable black figures in the United States have reported being stopped for driving while black, including celebrities who report such incidents both before and after they became famous. Law enforcement agencies usually refute claims profiling black drivers or drivers of color, claiming their primary concern is public safety, and that they stop drivers of all races to address safety concerns. Statistics on racial profiling and black driving are somewhat difficult to collect and analyze, making it difficult to determine how much of a problem racial profiling is in the United States.
A related concept is “flying while Muslim,” a slang term that refers to the prejudices experienced by some Muslim and Middle Eastern airline passengers in the United States in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks perpetrated by radical Muslims.
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