The shooting of 11-year-old Aderrien Murry by a Mississippi police officer is a reminder of a rather common trend in America’s policing: Black children often get treated as or mistaken for crime suspects.
In some cases, a Karen makes a pesky call to 911 on a Black kid who “looks suspicious.” In most cases, police officers manhandle a child or teenager in a way that is deemed unnecessary or excessive. And of course, some Black children lose their lives by the bullet of a police officer who didn’t think twice about shooting their firearm.
Why does this happen? Because Black children aren’t regarded as, well, children.
“Throughout the diaspora, children of African descent face heavier policing, including more arrests, police surveillance, racial profiling, strip searches and excessive use of force. Law enforcement is in conflict with children of African descent,” read a report from the United Nations.
The proof is in the pudding. Take a look at these 15 cases a Black child was racially profiled.