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Civil Rights
Even after the Civil Rights Act there are still many problems with the way people discriminate against other people who are different than them. For example, some people discriminate against people of different races. The department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funded “pair testing.” People of different races, who were matched on credit history and other traits, approached lenders with the same type of mortgage needs. Overall, minorities were less likely to receive information about loan products, received less time and info from loan officers, and were quoted higher interest rates in most of the cities where tests were conducted. There are two forms of discrimination in mortgage lending. The first form is differential treatment discrimination. It is when equally qualified individuals are treated differently because of their race or ethnicity. The minorities are more likely to be discouraged from getting a loan, to have their loan rejected, or to receive unfavorable loan terms. The second form is disparate impact discrimination. It is when a lending policy disqualifies a larger share of minorities, but can’t be justified as a business necessity. Racism can be used as a tool of control. The criminal justice system is not primarily here to protect us or rehabilitate those who commit social crimes. Its purpose is to strike fear into the population in order to maintain control. Racism is an essential weapon in the control process. Racist justice, the use of the death penalty and the disproportionate sentencing for Blacks for various drug violations, is to convince whites of all social strata that minorities are inclined to do crime. Minorities must be treated unfairly for the good of the majority. When most whites hear the words racial profiling and DWB, they believe it may be overdone, but there is a valid reason for it. Some police officers have stopped African-Americans for no reason except for the color of their skin. Other times, they have shot and killed African-American men because they just looked like they were a threat. For example, an unarmed West African immigrant, Amadou Diallo, was murdered. He came out of his apartment to see why the cops were barging into his building and he was shot forty- one times by four New York City cops who claimed he posed a threat even though he had no weapon. Furthermore, people discriminate against gay and lesbian couples. Many groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) supports legal recognition of lesbian and gay relationships, but still gay and lesbian couples are denied many rights. They are not allowed to visit partner/ partner’s child in a hospital or take off work to care for them, inherit from a partner if he/ she doesn’t leave a valid will, make medical decisions on partner’s behalf, get equal division of property in a divorce, choose final resting place for deceased partner, or obtain wrongful death benefits for surviving partner and child. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Marriage is a basic human right. You cannot tell people they cannot fall in love.” During his inaugural speech in January President Obama equated the civil rights of homosexual Americans with the historic struggles of women and blacks. Gay rights leaders were thrilled by Obama's support and they hope to see action on a federal level that turns his call for equality into law. Same sex couples can now marry in nine states and Washington DC, but federal government doesn't recognize those unions and they deny them many things. President Obama said, “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like everyone else under the law.” Marvin Henchbarger, executive director of Gay and Lesbian Youth services said she wants to see stronger protections for gay/lesbian marriage. She also says, “The next big push for full equality is getting rid of the Defense of Marriage Act at the federal level. That would allow our marriages to be recognized and gifted with a whole lot of privileges that those of us who are now married to same sex partners do not get. Given these points, many people have tried and are trying to get equal rights for everyone but still there are many people who don't want to give everyone the same rights. You should consider how people are treating other people and how it is not right to treat someone like that. Think about how you would want to be treated and then you should treat other people that way.
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