16-year-old Rykeem Johnson was getting ready to go swimming when, suddenly, Arlington, Texas, police stopped him, demanding he drop his weapon from the third floor of his apartment building. But what weapon? Soon, 40 cops were on the scene, pointing SNIPER guns at him.
But when a confused and terrified Johnson thought it was all over, he got a phone call from his older brother, who'd been trying to tell him a threat was in the building.
But Johnson WAS the "threat." "Come save me they are about to shoot me!" he screamed. And after his brother rushed to the scene, cops ignored him when he told them they had the wrong person. Police had held him at gunpoint for over an HOUR. Eventually, they listened - and let him go.
But after all that, what did the cops say once it was over?
"Sorry for the misunderstanding. We apologize." That's it. And to Johnson, that wasn't enough. "They had me at gunpoint, scared for my life," he said.
Most police use-of-force incidents with children involve Black children. And research has shown that even the most benign interactions with police may harm their health and well-being.
Police hurt Black children more than they keep them safe. Like Johnson's brother, it's our responsibility to protect the Black children in our lives.