American cities were once described as melting pots where people from different parts of the world were brought together and melded into Americans. But this picture was always marred by instances of racial discrimination showing that differences between people were strong. Americans might like to think that they have eliminated racial discrimination, and in fact the American people seem genuinely surprised when incidents occur showing otherwise, such as the Rodney King case in California or the Abner Louima case in New York. An examination of the issue as it has developed in Cleveland, Ohio can serve as an example of racial discrimination in America today. This analysis shows the different forms racial discrimination, the impact each has, the means taken to address each, and other information regarding the way the problem has developed and why it persists.
Racial discrimination can be found in a number of different forms, from discrimination in housing to discrimination in employment. Schools are often segregated either intentionally or because of housing patterns so that neighborhoods with one predominant race have schools that show the same pattern. Poorer neighborhoods therefore often experience a secondary discrimination because schools are supported by the tax base so that education is given short shrift in those neighborhoods that need to boost the most. Insurance companies often have different policies for different neighborhoods and so charge more for minorities and people in poorer regions. Discrimination may also be practiced by the police, who target minorities for more searches, more arrests, and more police activity.
Discrimination may no longer be as blatant as it once was in the south when the different races had different drinking fountains, different seating arrangements in theaters and on buses, and a rigid housing and employment structure, but institutionalized racism still exists and maintains a s...