Editorial: Governmental Racial Profiling Destroys Trust

February 8, 2003

Source: The Boston Globe

On February 8, 2003 The Boston Globe printed an editorial that stated, "the latest FBI order comes on the heels of revelations that the bureau has been secretly enlisting campus police officers at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and elsewhere to 'keep tabs' on faculty, staff, and students studying in Massachusetts and around the United States... Some Justice Department officials have dubbed these tactics 'community outreach' - a chance for the FBI to alert Iraqis to civil rights matters and to assist them if they are targets of discrimination or retribution as the nation prepares for war. In addition, they say, the program will help the FBI develop friendly intelligence sources within the Iraqi-American community and to glean information that could be helpful in the war... Racial and religious profiling by the government... fosters an environment that encourages hate crimes by private citizens.� Since 2000, hate crimes directed against individuals, businesses or organizations identified with Islam have surged more than 1,600 percent nationwide... In this climate, true community outreach requires trust.� Racial and religious profiling by law enforcement destroys it."