Question A
Fagan constructs proxy using available statistics and the dominant point of view. The result what occurs in current American society. It depicts the prevalence of racial profiling by law enforcement officers and how it disproportionately affects blacks (S.D.N.Y, 2013). The plaintiffs claim that “Black and Latino persons are the population groups most affected by the NYPD Stop Question and Frisk” (S.D.N.Y, 2013). Due to this, there is a perpetual tension between the police and African American communities. Also, it reflects that modern American society is still stratified along racial lines. While the proxy constructed has been warmly received by most parties, police departments have been keen to shun it since it demonstrates the negative side of racial profiling and its contribution to extrajudicial killings.
Question B
The argument of Fagan is stronger since it shows the existence of racial profiling and how it disproportionately affects blacks. His data reveals that “African American and Hispanics are found consistently to be disproportionately identified as perpetrators in virtually all categories of crime” (S.D.N.Y, 2013). The strength of the argument is derived from its sociological foundation. This argument demonstrates how racial profiling leads to police brutality and tragic outcomes for minorities. Through such an approach, the argument confronts the racism that still lurks in American society yet remains largely ignored. Contrary to claims by the NYPD, the police department does not use a “benchmark for identifying potential suspects” (S.D.N.Y, 2013). When analyzed from a sociological viewpoint, the racism within NYPD from the conflict between members of the black community and law enforcement due to historical injustices like the War on Drugs, which disproportionately had negative outcomes for minorities ( Deutsch, Coleman, & Marcus, 2011) . Flagan asserts that the number of arrests does not “with the racial and ethnic composition of the criminally active population of New York” (S.D.N.Y, 2013).The conflict theory is permeated through the argument. The conflict approach perceives society as a ground of inequality that engenders change and brings conflict. The conflict method emphasizes the struggle over power, limited resources, and status as a fixed characteristic of societies and the main source of social transformation. The model shows that minorities are disproportionately adversely affected by injustice since their limited resources has casted them as second-class citizens.
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References
Deutsch, M, Coleman, P & Marcus, E. (2011). The handbook of conflict resolution: Theory and practice . John Wiley & Sons.
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (S.D.N.Y). (2013). Floyd v. City of New York, 959 F. Supp. 2d 540. PDF
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