Racial Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System

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Racial Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System Thomas Yoneda Chamberlin University Cultural Diversity in the professions SOCS350 Professor Natasha Houston November 5, 2013 Racial Inequalities in the criminal Justice System I choose the topic of racial inequalities in the criminal justice system, because of a close friend who was arrested for a crime he did not commit. We were both 13 years old at the time. We just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time in down town Los Angeles. My friend Carlos is of Mexican descent, born in East Los Angeles, and I am of Japanese descent born in Japan. I was with Carlos at the time of the arrest and the police officer did not listen to a word I said to him. I tried to explain to the officer that they had the wrong person. They call me a gook and told me to go sit down. They told me that I would be arrested to for interfering with a police officer if I did not listen. Carlos was told that he fit the description of the person who robbed the gas station attendant. Because the description of the robber was Mexican and that he was wearing a black flannel-plaid shirt and jeans as Carlos was wearing. We told the police officer that we don’t have a car and that we are only 13 years of age. They took Carlos away in the police car and left me to walk back to his house alone. I have always been a good law abiding citizen. In the early 60s that era that I grew up in, being Japanese or Mexican was not the best race to be because of all the prejudice, discrimination and stereotyping place on individuals of different race. When I turned 18 years old I applied for a job at the Green Frog Restaurant, it was just right down the street from where I lived. The manager was drinking at the time of my interview with a business man who was selling drinking glasses to the restaurant. The manager told me to come in for my

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