Police have all the weapons in the world at their disposal. But for some reason, when they see a Black child holding a bag of chips, that’s when they decide to use them.
#1: Washington, D.C. (2000) - A 12-year-old girl was arrested for eating a French fry in a Washington D.C. train station, due to a policy that banned eating on trains and stations. The officer searched the girl and asked her if she had any drugs or alcohol before arresting her.
#2: Cincinnati, OH (2018) - An 11-year-old girl was tased after being accused of shoplifting snacks from a Kroger supermarket. The cop gave the girl no warning before tasing her. The cop even said, “this is why there aren’t any grocery stores in the Black community.”
#3: Syracuse, NY (2022) - An 8-year-old boy was accused of stealing a bag of Doritos from a store. He was riding his bike when police dragged him off and arrested him, even though a bystander offered to purchase the chips and another said he wasn’t the culprit.
Black children deserve to be seen as children — not threats. It’s on us to protect them, to demand better, and to build a future where their innocence isn’t criminalized.