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   Concerns of police profiling are very high on the issues list. A report from The Denver Post shows that while African Americans make up 11.1% of Denver’s population, they account for 26.4% of Denver traffic stops. Hispanics make up 31.7% of Denver’s population and 39.6% of traffic stops. Whites account for 52% of the population but only 30% of traffic stops (Plunkett, 2004).

   While these figures are troubling, there are other major issues concerning police and minority group interactions in Denver. Civilian oversight of the police department is nonexistent. However, as the result of recent events, that is in the process of change. In the past five years there have been a number of highly publicized unfortunate incidents were police officers have used excessive force in subduing minority citizens.

   An African-American mother had her daughter call the police when her fifteen-year-old mentally disabled son grabbed a kitchen knife and refused to go to his bedroom. Two police officers responded and evacuated the mother and daughter. One police officer ordered the fifteen year old to step out of the house, and when the boy refused, the officer shot him four times killing him instantly (Wrongful Deaths, 2003).

   A 35-year-old African-American man was rushed to the hospital by his mother, after he complained of chest pains. In the emergency room parking lot, he collapsed on top of his mother. Denver police were nearby, responded, thought he was attacking her, and restrained him. He died while in restraint and the autopsy showed that he received more than 40 bruises, sixteen broken ribs, and a broken sternum while the police where restraining him (Wrongful Deaths, 2003).

   A SWAT team led a raid on a crack house in Denver, but unfortunately hit the wrong address. The occupant of the house, a Mexican immigrant who spoke no English, was in his upstairs bedroom as the police burst in. He grabbed a pistol but was shot eight times and killed. An investigation showed the police altered documents after the raid in an effort to show the victim was in the drug business (Wrongful Deaths, 2003).

   Denver police responded to a domestic violence call and found the female Hispanic caller outside, but were told by her that her boyfriend had left the residence. They decided to search the house anyway even though they had no warrant. Finding the doors locked, and as she had no key, they obtained a ladder from the garage and one officer climbed to a second story bedroom window. The uncle of the boyfriend, a 63-year-old Hispanic invalid was lying in bed drinking a soda. The officer on the ladder, upon seeing the man, mistook the soda can for a weapon and ordered him to drop it. Not knowing the man did not speak English, when he did not follow the order, the officer shot and killed him (Wrongful Deaths, 2003).
These cases all have one thing in common, the officers involved received no punishment, or their punishment was overturned on appeal. The cases were handled internally by the police department as the district attorney refused to prosecute (Langbein, 2004). This has led many minorities to feel the justice department is prejudiced against minority group members.

   As a business owner, Ms. Gonzalez has taken advantage of many government programs that allows her small business to compete with larger majority owned businesses for government contracts. She is very concerned that due to the increasingly conservative political climate in Colorado, many of these programs will lose their funding, and she will then be at such a disadvantage that her business will suffer. This of course would affect her income, and as Hispanic per capita incomes are currently only 40% of white per capita incomes, this can have serious consequences. It can affect where she lives. She may have to remain in a minority enclave. This can affect her children’s education, which could then affect their success in life. She feels that many whites do not like to see successful minority business owners. And that many whites will try to remove advantages and throw up barriers to her success (Gonzales, 2005).

   Based on Ms. Gonzales comments, we can examine racial relations in the context of the Blauner and Noel hypotheses. Noel’s hypothesis states that when two groups come together in contact, if ethnocentrism, competition, or a differential in power come into play, then ethnic and racial assumptions will be made. This can be seen in many of Ms. Gonzales comments. Competition in both jobs and scarce resources for schools is an issue between whites and minorities. Minority groups certainly suffer from a differential in political power, as numerically they are less well represented than whites. These issues lead to ethnic and racial assumptions that are detrimental to minorities. One case in point is in police relations. My previous example shows that minorities are disproportionately represented in police traffic stops.

   Blauner’s hypothesis states that minority colonized groups face more discrimination than minority immigrant groups. And that minority immigrant groups extend this advantage by being more rapidly assimilated into the majority group. In talking with Ms. Gonzales, it is apparent she feels that even now Hispanics have a hard time integrating into American society. It is possible that the constant high levels of Mexican immigrants into this country are masking the fact that there are many second, third, and fourth generation Hispanics who have successfully bridged that gap into American society. However, data from the 2000 U.S. Census does show that on a per capita basis in Denver Colorado, the second highest income minority group is African-American, a formerly colonized minority group. The Hispanic group, an immigrant minority group, is at the bottom of the list with a per capita income approximately 70% of the African American group. This would seem to conflict with Blauner’s hypothesis.

   Certainly, many racial and prejudicial issues could be addressed in the Denver area. Any time you have minorities representing 30% of the population, their needs should be given consideration by the majority group. Providing equal education opportunities as well as programs specifically tailored to increase minority graduation rates would certainly be the first thing to change. Requiring cultural diversity training for police officers, to bring an end to racial profiling would be second. Developing community programs to give minority teens an alternative to drugs and gangs would help to ensure the new generation a strong place in American society.

   Without a radical change in our immigration policies, we will see the percentage of minorities in our communities continue to increase in the years to come. We must accept this fact and work to reduce the amount of racial and prejudicial discrimination minority groups face. We must also assist in their assimilation into American society. This will help to ensure that America continues as a strong vibrant nation with a diverse yet cohesive population.

References

Boettcher, K. (1996, August). Roots of American racism. The People 106. Retrieved July 10, 2005 from http://www.yvwiiusdinvnohii.net/
Census 2000 data for the State of Colorado. U. S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2005 from http://www.census.gov
Espinoza, A. (2005, January 20). High school graduation rate lagging. The Denver Post. Retrieved July 10, 2005 from ProQuest database.
Gonzoles, M. (1999, November). Racist group dominated politics. The Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved July 10, 2005 from http://www.denver-rmn.com
Japanese internment (2005). u-s-history.com. Retrieved July 10, 2005 from http://www.u-s-history.com
Langbein, S. (2004, December 9). DA won’t charge cop. The Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved July 10, 2005 from http://www.denver-rmn.com
O’Driscoll, P., & Nasser, H. (2004, September 30). Demographics are tipping in Denver. USA Today. Retrieved July 12, 2005 from EBSCOHost database.
Plunkett, C. (2004, April 9). Denver cops more apt to stop minorities. The Denver Post. Retrieved July 15, 2005 from ProQuest database.
The Ludlow Massacre. American Experience. Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved July 12, 2005 from http://www.pbs.org
Washington, A. (2005, August 6). Diversity worries set off alarms. The Denver Post. sec. A, p. 6.
Wrongful deaths by the Denver police. (2003, June 3). Denver Copwatch. Retrieved July 12, 2005 from http://www.denvercopwatch.org

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