Why racial profiling has become a concern for parents
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The recent Black Lives Matter movement has permeated the Internet and many news outlets, generating a dialogue about police brutality against blacks, especially in America. While this pressing issue is worthy of address, it is also significant to take a look at how ethnic minorities in general are confronted by law enforcement.
Bryanne Salazar, a Latina mom, recently spoke out about her fears of being confronted by the police as an ethnic minority in an article for Mom.me. This was prompted by her son’s recent encounter being pulled over for a broken taillight.
“We were driving down to the road last night to play ‘Pokemon Go,’ and I noticed red and blue flashing lights behind me,” her 18-year-old son, Alvaro, tells his mother. Alvaro was with his girlfriend, also a Mexican, when they were pulled over.
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“Just the day before, I’d had another talk with both of my sons about what to do if they were ever pulled over by a police officer. I’d told them to never resist and to keep their hands on the steering wheel at all times,” Salazar says.
While she acknowledges the prejudiced dealings of blacks by law enforcement, she also emphasizes the unjust treatment towards families of colour by the police in general.
“No, my family isn’t black but our names and identities mark us as ‘non-white’ and in this day and age, that feels dangerous.”
According to Mom.me, “five unarmed Latinos were also shot and killed by the police” the same week Sterling and Castile were killed. What is more concerning to this mother is the fact that “Latinos account for just over 17 percent of the population, make up 23 percent of the total searches by police officers and an astounding 30 percent of deaths by police,” reports Mom.me.
Salazar also talks about her husband’s experience with the police on a fishing trip with their son by a local pier. His experience is described as one where he was profiled as an ethnic minority, and perhaps treated differently because he was not white.
“[A]n elderly white police officer stood and stared at my husband for about 20 minutes while he was fishing, [and] he wondered why he, among everyone else, had attracted the officer’s attention,” Salazar says.
Her husband was asked if he speaks English and after replying yes, the officer asked, “well then do you not know how to read?” while pointing to a sign that read “No Overhead Casting.” He was issued a $100 ticket and also asked if he was lying when asked for identification.
“As he walked off the pier, my husband saw two young men clearly hold their poles over their heads and cast their fishing lines. If the officer even noticed them, he said nothing,” Salazar says.
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Incidents as such, in turn, influence how parents of colour bring up their children.
“The harsh reality is that my white friends with white children cannot identify with the fear of having non-white kids being confronted by police. They can empathize, but they cannot actually know my fear of having my husband or children targeted because of their skin colour,” Salazar writes.
Salazar’s son was finally able to understand his mother’s concern after his experience with the police. He, along with his girlfriend, were asked if they were convicts or had been previously arrested.
“To the kids, the cop seemed like he was on high alert the moment he approached their car,” says Salazar.
“The reality is that this police officer, like so many of us, may also fear of being targeted or killed because of his appearance. The recent horrific Dallas police shootings are a reminder that this anger at the injustices against people of colour can erupt in senseless, stupid violence that only serves to strengthen the disparity between us.”
Should Salazar be concerned about her son being profiled as an ethnic minority? Let us know what you think by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA.
