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What Are Racial Profiling
and Hate Crimes?
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Racial profiling refers to reliance by law enforcement officers
on a person’s ethnicity, national origin, or race, rather
than on his/her behavior or other information, to identify him/her
as being or having been engaged in illegal activity. Racial profiling
can result in a person’s being followed, detained, harassed,
arrested or abused because of his/her race, ethnicity, national
origin, and/or religious affiliation.
- Hate crimes, also known as bias-motivated crimes, are criminal
acts against a person or property targeting a victim because the
victim is or is perceived to be a certain ethnicity, national
origin, race, or religion. Hate crimes can range from vandalism
to violent physical assaults.
You Have the Right Not To
Be Subject To Racial Profiling or Hate Crime!
- Hate crimes, like all crimes, are illegal. Most states have
laws that require harsher punishment for those who commit hate
crimes while a few states treat these crimes no differently. Federal
laws may also protect you against hate crimes.
- In colleges and universities that receive money from the Federal
government, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title
VI”) bans written, oral, or physical harassment based on
race, color, or national origin. It covers all of a college’s
on-campus and off-campus programs and protects parents, students,
and some employees from discrimination.
Has My College Violated Title
VI?
- If your college causes or encourages racially hostile behavior
or if you complain about racially hostile behavior to your college,
and it fails to take action, it has violated Title VI.
- Racially hostile environments can be created by the actions
or verbal harassment of other students, professors, college employees,
or college administrators. For a Title VI violation to exist,
the person who commits racially hostile behavior does not have
to be an employee of the college, and it does n0t matter if you
are not the specific target of the racially hostile behavior.
What Should You Do If You
See Racial Profiling or Are a Victim of a Hate Crime?
- Speak out immediately
- Report hate crimes to the local police and campus security.
You do not need to be a citizen to report a crime.
In many areas, "911" is the best number to call
in an emergency. Include as many details as possible and later
write down the incident (time, place, location, witnesses).
Preserve any evidence.
- Discuss the incident with your family, friends, or other
trusted individuals to help you remember the specific details
of the incident.
- Tell a college official -- any college official (professors,
resident assistants in your dorms, counselors, administrators).
In particular, the Dean of Students, Student Life Office,
or International Student Organization may be useful.
- Contact cultural, religious, or student organizations for
support.
- Contact an advocacy organization (see CRP link for some
names of organizations to contact)
- File a Complaint:
- If you think that you have been discriminated against by your
college, determine what your college’s “grievance
process” is and consider using that process to resolve
your complaint.
- You may be able to file a complaint with the U.S. Department
of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, which enforces
Title VI. You need to file a formal letter of complaint, but
you do not need to be a citizen to file a Title VI complaint.
You may also dowload a more detailed version of this
document in PDF format.Know
Your Rights on Campus: A Guide on Racial Profiling and Hate Crimes
for International Students in the United States
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