Rhetorical Methods and Strategies

1. Purpose

1.1. The author's purpose is to call attention to the problem of racial profiling in New York City. As Herbert characterizes the issue in his opening statement, "The New York City Police Department needs to be restrained" (Herbert, 43). His demanding tone showcases just how highly he regards the importance of the problem, and also how adamant he is about solving it.

2. Audience

2.1. The intended audience is the portion of the population of New York which allows the problem identified in Herbert's essay to continue. The New Yorkers to whom this problem does not apply, and yet permit it to persist. The citizens of New York City certainly have the power to influence "the increasingly enthusiastic direction of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly" (Herbert, 43). This group is who Bob Herbert is writing to, and calling upon to change the way the New York City Police Department functions.

3. Ethos

3.1. Bob Herbert, having lived many years in New York, has seen firsthand the racial profiling practiced by the police for seemingly no good reason. He even depicts the scene: "I saw a guy on the Upper West Side...it didn't cross my mind that he should be accosted by the police"(Herbert, 44). The fact that the author provides anecdotal evidence supporting his claim is proof that he has witnessed it himself. The fact that he refers to himself in the first person displays his level of intimacy with, and authority on, the issue at hand.

4. Logos

4.1. The author makes good use of numerical evidence in order to prove his point about racial profiling in New York City. For example, "84 percent of the stops in the first three-quarters of 2009 were of black or Hispanic New Yorkers" (Herbert, 43). This is only one of the many pieces of statistical evidence Herbert uses to bolster his argument. They exemplify his knowledge on the issue by pointing out his access to the precise amount of racial inequality present.

5. Argument

5.1. Herbert argues that the racial profiling and police harassment happening in New York City in the 21st century has grown to inadmissible levels and must be stopped. This can be seen when he writes that in the first nine months of 2009, "more than 450,000 people were stopped by the cops, an increase of 13 percent over the same period in 2008" (Herbert, 43). These statistics advance the author's position by revealing the extent of the problem.

6. Persona

6.1. The author, as a New York Times journalist with many editorials, is somewhat well-known among readers of the paper and among other journalists. This positive reputation serves to increase the readership of his work and thus the comfort and familiarity with which it is consumed. Also, the anti-racism sentiments present in Herbert's writings is popular among the minority population of his readers, who most often share these views.

7. Pathos

7.1. Herbert invokes irritation and anger in his audience by exposing them to the ways in which minority New Yorkers' "ordinary daily lives were interrupted by cops bent on harassment for no good reason" (Herbert, 44). He offers up ridiculous reasons such as "'furtive movements,' wearing clothes 'commonly used in a crime,' and 'inappropriate attire for the season'" (Herbert, 43-44). These excuses for stops given by the police are obviously ludicrous, and Herbert uses them with the intent of showing readers that the New York CIty Police Department is trying to cover up their blatant ethnic profiling.