However, that doesn't necessary means that laws handling "riff-raff" are inherently wrong or racial.
I didn't say they were inherently racial. I'd say that blackness serves as a multiplier of 'riff raff,' or perhaps a subset of it. But a well-dressed and clean black man would probably be treated similarly to his white counterpart - you're too clean to be here, get out.
Whether it's wrong is an entirely different matter. It's certainly open to abuse, and the terminology is usually so vague and misleading as to make what constitutes 'riff raff' a matter of personal opinion.
Personally, I'd say it is wrong, profoundly so, to set the judicial system on individuals for the outward signifiers of their socio-economic standing. (On, essentially, 'how they look.') It's inherently classist and discriminatory.
I agree with each of the above points, but from my term of reference it is not wrong and even desirable. Every society/system has rules, every rules can be abused and it is a constant battle to find consensus on what is fair, and strict laws that leave no place for interpretation just open another venue for abuse.
Anyone who ever build a life from scratch likely understand what I am talking about, especially in lower socio-economic standings when you can't afford to pay for better quality of life.
This reminds me of the War on Bail Reform going on in New York.
1) In the beginning, there was an injustice where individuals were more likely to be held in jail on bail they couldn't afford pending trial for a crime they might be 100% innocent due in large part to the color of their skin, and to a lesser part to their socioeconomic background.
2) Then, New York passed a law setting strict requirements that severely limited the ability of Judges to impose those bails.
3) There was great outcry by the Prosecutors, Judges, and Cops that their precious discretion was stolen.
4) There was a minor reform to so that those who were abusing the bail reform could in fact be held.
But it was so much work, said the lazy ass Prosecutors, Judges, and Cops. Many didn't even bother trying.
5) So now, there is a great push to repeal the whole thing.
Give us back our right to discriminate against black folk P.S.: Plenty of people plead guilty under the old system just to get out of jail. Were they innocent or were they guilty? Doesn't matter, they plead guilty!