criminalization of black youth
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Study Finds Black Children 6 Times More Likely to be Fatally Shot by Police
In news that is as heartbreaking as it is predictable, a study has found that over the last 16 years, Black kids were six times more likely to be fatally shot by police than white children. CNN reports that the study found that from 2006 to 2018, 140 children were killed as a result of…
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Colorado School Suspends and Calls Resource Officers on Black 12-Year-Old Over Toy Gun Seen During Virtual Class
Oh, how America loves to criminalize Black children. That’s it. That’s the lede. On August 27, 12-year-old Isaiah Elliott was attending his virtual art class as a seventh-grader at Grand Mountain School in Colorado Springs, Co. Isaiah’s mother, Dani Elliott, told BuzzFeed News in a recent interview that at one point during the session, Isaiah…
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Chicago Mayor Tells Black Teens on Playground to Go Home, Gets Roasted in Response on Camera
Black youth in Chicago were already a little wary of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the first mayor for the city who is a black woman and member of the LGBTQ community. During her historic mayoral campaign young activists frequently took Lightfoot to task on how she would ensure more accountability in the Chicago Police Department, given…
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High School Student Expelled for Smelling Like Weed Despite 2 Negative Test Results
A black student was suspended and later expelled from an Ohio high school—not for possessing or using marijuana—but after multiple school employees agreed that he smelled like the substance. While the student’s parent has questioned the legal or ethical basis for the suspension, one moderately experienced writer whose name rhymes with “Michael Harriot” posited a…
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Exonerated Five Fighting to Stop Cops From Lying, Using Innocent People’s DNA and Other Things You Probably Thought Were Already Illegal
Innocent until proven guilty is one of the foundational tenets of American jurisprudence. Even when a person is arrested and jailed for a crime, they are afforded the same presumption of innocence as Ivanka Trump, Jesus Christ, the white people in lotion commercials or any other unblemished, blue-eyed blonde American. Of course, if you’re black,…
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Philadelphia DA Accuses Judge of Bias, Says Meek Mill Should Get New Trial
Meek Mill’s legal woes have not only been lengthy, but have provided a textbook example of just how deeply flawed our criminal justice system is. But after years of bad news, the Maybach Music signee might finally be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. USA Today reports that on Wednesday, Philadelphia District…
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C.J. Wallace, Son of Notorious B.I.G. and Faith Evans, Launches Cannabis Line to Benefit the Prison Arts Project
“Smoking blunts was a daily routine, since 13,” Biggie once famously rapped. But now his son, C.J., is showing the public that marijuana use goes far beyond the typical “Party and Bullshit” of most rap lyrics. C.J. Wallace is best known for playing the role of his iconic father in 2009’s Notorious biopic. Now, 10…
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Mother Demands Answers and Policy Change After Her Son Was Forced to Urinate in Classroom Trash Can
Sonia Mongol, mother of an 8-year-old student at Manhattan Place Elementary in Los Angeles, says her son was forced to urinate in a trash can after his teacher refused to let him use the bathroom, urinating on himself in the process, according to NBC12. A tearful Mongol told local media that she plans to take…
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The Sad Connection Between Slavery and Police Presence in Schools
This year marks 400 “documented” years since enslaved Africans were brought to American shores. Centuries later, and we are still grappling with the ramifications of slavery. While African descendants are free in theory, a host of policies continue to criminalize black and brown people. Sadly, that criminalization begins in grade school and feeds the school-to-prison…
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Your 4.0 GPA Won’t Protect You From Systemic Racism
Being “twice as good” won’t save you from becoming a target. Just ask 18-year-old Andrew Jones of Amite, La., who was denied the opportunity to serve as his class valedictorian. Despite earning a 4.0 grade point average, Jones was not permitted to participate in his high school graduation. According to reports, the student was stopped…