America's problem go way beyond ethnic lines and poor choice is color blind. The fact is that being white can many times make the penalty for those poor choices less consequential, and the data bears this out. Minorities do more time for the same crime. Same goes for income and family wealth.
I spent a majority of the last 8 months building a timber framed house on the coast and the level of racism and homophobia on the job-site was shocking. A constant barrage of faggot, dumb mexican, beaner, the n word, etc. I was there to learn so I kept my mouth shut and my head down. A soul sucking experience for sure.