Racial profiling leaves bad taste
By Ram Luthra
Sports Editor

Like other people over the holidays, I, too, traveled to visit family. But unlike other people who endured the heavy traffic and hassle at essentially every airport in the nation, I boarded my plane with a bad taste — a taste that is different from eating that good ol’ dry fruitcake on Christmas.

This taste was one of disgrace and shame for all the energy exerted by aviation security agents. These agents are working hard for long hours to protect all the passengers who board every plane, but their hard work is not a reflection of if they are doing the right thing.

My experience is simple: I became a statistic, the part of the sample that bubbles in the “yes” on the survey question that asks whether I have been a victim of racial profiling.

It was supposed to be a short flight that would only take 39 minutes, but I spent nearly 50 minutes dealing with security as I took off my shoes and unbuckled my belt to make sure a bomb does not go off. I was flying back home to Fort Worth from Houston after attending the loveseat.com game, better known as the galleryfurniture.com Bowl game, the day before.

At Hobby Airport in Houston, I was selected for a random baggage examination when checking in my luggage. There I was told to put my carry-on handbag and my duffle bag on a table as security agents hovered over me to search and test for any explosives.

When my bags passed all the safety criteria, I was then asked to raise my feet to check for any detonable devices in my tennis shoes. It seemed at the time a fair and reasonable procedure. But the attitude of the security workers was far from reasonable. They treated me, as well as other passengers, as if we were doing something wrong and illegal.

After that check I was then re-examined by more security when passing through the metal detectors going toward my gate. Once again my shoes were meticulously taken off, my beanie on my head was inspected and I was extensively searched. Even throughout all of that, I felt that security was not becoming a burden.

Even through two different stages of security, I still felt that it was not too inconvenient for consumers to endure such measures, but when I stood in line to get on the plane my mindset changed by 180 degrees. As I was standing third in line from boarding the plane, I was tapped on my shoulder by a lady who asked me to follow her. She escorted me to an isolated room to check me and look through my handbag — again.

I was asked to sip on a bottle of water, which I had purchased at the airport some 20 minutes ago, to make sure it was not some kind of dangerous gaseous substance. I was questioned whether my Swiss Army cologne was actually used to spray a fresh odor or used to trigger an explosion. All this just because I am of Indian heritage with dark hair and brown skin.

Airports have been busy improving security measures since Sept. 11. Some improvements have been made to beef up security, but a better way still has to be established. After being checked the first two times, security agents could have stamped me with a “pass” across my forehead or given me a wristband to indicate that I am not a threat and okay to board an airplane.

It is alright for airports to take every single precaution in order to make sure that an airplane is secure before it takes off the runway, but it is not appropriate to single out people who have physical traits that resemble Middle Eastern extremists.

The truth is that a trip to the airport will be different for everyone who has brown, mocha-colored skin as opposed to people who are white or black.

Maybe my experience is just an example of normal security procedures. If my grandfather, who wore a turban and doesn’t cut or shave his beard because of his religion (Sikhism), was at the airport he would have felt worse than I did. He would have definitely been scrutinized because of his physical appearance. Even more than I, who simply have short hair and only a shadow of a beard, did. Unfortunately, he is dead, but there are other people who travel while wearing their turbans and have long beards who have to endure such ill-favored treatment.

Inconvenience at airports is not a problem for me, but the reason why airport security targets certain people is definitely a problem. I am young and usually don’t hold grudges toward people, but there are grandparents and parents out there who might hold such grudges as a result of their experience at airports because their beard was too long or if their turban attracted attention.

Sports Editor Ram Luthra is a senior news-editorial and political science major from Fort Worth. He can be contacted at (r.d.luthra@student.tcu.edu).

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