The Indiana Civil Rights Commission is stepping up its efforts to educate Hoosiers and help prevent racial profiling after a recent spike in reported incidents.
The Indiana Civil Rights Commission has reported several probable cause findings of racial profiling in the last three months, meaning there’s reasonable suspicion profiling occurred.
The cases vary – from an employee being denied advancement opportunities to three African-American women wrongfully accused of shoplifting at a clothing store.
ICRC spokesman Brad Meadows says the state agency’s role goes beyond investigating rights violation complaints. He says the commission is also working to educate the public on what to do when they find themselves in similar situations.
“I often encourage people to look at us as a resource hub,” Meadows said. “So even if you’re unsure whether you’ve faced discrimination but something just doesn’t seem right or you were treated differently or unfairly, call us.”
Meadows says the commission’s education efforts are also focused on businesses, particularly among front-line employees.
“They receive a lot of information on how to do their job and the policies and procedures of the organization but I think some of the anti-discrimination laws, some of those things like racial profiling kind of get lost,” Meadows said.
Meadows says while complaints received by the Civil Rights Commission are predominantly from African-Americans, he says complaints from Hispanic Hoosiers are on the rise as that population segment grows.
