With the recent events in Irving, Texas, including Ahmed Mohamed and his homemade clock, the issue of racial profiling has become a major topic of discussion.
“It shows that we have a long way to go as far as racial profiling, racism, and all that,” said Shelby Paine, Louisiana State University sophomore.
The discussion has made its way to LSU’s campus where students are wondering whether or not the LSU Police Department is guilty of racial profiling.
“Some people think that, like you know, that they are targeted, maybe like black males. They always feel like you know the target is on them,” said Kelsey Moffett, LSU sophomore.
Other students said they have not experienced discrimination from LSUPD so far in their college careers.
In addition, there is strong debate about the balance between racial profiling and safety. One argument is that racial profiling and discrimination should never be acceptable, no matter the situation.
“Under no circumstances should anyone use racial profiling,” said LSU student Jonah Rittenberry.
On the flip side, some students believe there should be a balance of racial profiling when safety is at risk. Often humans associate people with the activities of others who look similar, said Moffet. “It’s hard because we’re human, and we’re always going to kind of profile people even if we don’t want to.”
Ahmed Mohamed’s experience has not only caught the attention of the nation, but it has also caused some question about local law enforcement and ethics.