My son got his first taste of being a black teen in America

[Elm in NJ]

My 18 year old has always been homeschooled and for 12th grade this  year, he is taking all his classes at the local CC.  He has classes 4 days a week and most are in the mornings from 8am till 9.20am with a couple of evenings thrown in. My dh usually drops him off in the morning and if his class is until 9.20am dh brings him back home since he doesn't drive.  My hsuband had a seminar yesterday so he only dropped him off and my son took the bus home. We leave about 1mile from the bus stop so he walks home. He was stopped twice  by 2 different police in unmarked cars on his way home.  They wanted to know who he was and why he was in the area.  My son explained that he was a student at the CC and that he was on his way home from class.  He was very polite to them both times he was stopped.  This is a pretty good neighorhood, mostly whites and Asians , we moved here because of the school system<GRIN>.  

 

He told me about it when he got home and he wasn't upset or anything. When  one of my 12 year old twins told him 'Welcome to the real world, J'  that was when I started feeling really sad for them because I have 5 boys.  

 

Elmeryl

[GSOchristie]

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

[AK_Mom4]

That is a bummer that he had to experience that.

 

But congratulations on having a senior!  And take classes at the cc too!  Isn't it fun to have high schoolers?

[Catwoman]

I'm surprised that it happened in NJ. It sounds like your town has an overzealous police force. Do you mind if I ask what county you're in?

 

Are you sure they were profiling him based on his race? Sometimes just being a teenaged boy can raise red flags for the police, especially if there have been any break-ins in the area lately.

 

Since your son wasn't upset, it doesn't sound like the police were profiling him. If they were polite and accepted his answers without further question, I think you should consider giving them the benefit of the doubt.

[elegantlion]

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  I'm sorry he had that experience. 

[Elfknitter.#]

I'm surprised that it happened in NJ.

 

Honestly curious- why does that surprise you?

[Firefly]

Ugh.  I'm sorry. :(

[gingersmom]

Sad.

 

I'm not surprised it happened in NJ or anywhere else.

[Catwoman]

Honestly curious- why does that surprise you?

Most communities have teenagers of all different nationalities, and an African-American teenager wouldn't be such a rarity that the police would rush to question him.

 

I could be totally off-base, and I'm sure there are exceptions, but I wouldn't necessarily define the incidents as profiling without quite a bit more information.

[Catwoman]

I'm not sure why everyone is automatically assuming that he was stopped because of his race. If two different unmarked police cars passed him while he was walking a distance of only a mile, I would think they were patrolling because of some kind of crime in the area, and that they may very well have been stopping every other teenager or individual who happened to be walking through the neighborhood as a matter of course.

 

Could it have been racial profiling? Sure, it could have. But the boy wasn't at all upset about what had happened, and if he was being profiled by racist police officers, I would assume that he would have sensed some hostility or suspicion being directed toward him.

[Carol in Cal.]

I'm sorry, and when I read it I did interpret it as profiling.

[Mrs Mungo]

I would have thought it was profiling teenagers because he was a teen out during the school day. But, I will say that we've never been questioned by a police officer due to being out and about during the day.

[Flowing Brook]

I am sorry this happened.  Is it possible that if it was two unmarked cars they were detectives working on a case?

Just surmising but it is possible that someones house got broken into in that area and a neighbor saw a black teen climbing out of the window.  Then here comes your son walking down the street. 

Not saying it was not race related just wanting to give the benefit of the doubt.

[Mrs Mungo]

I am sorry this happened.  Is it possible that if it was two unmarked cars they were detectives working on a case?

Just surmising but it is possible that someones house got broken into in that area and a neighbor saw a black teen climbing out of the window.  Then here comes your son walking down the street.

Not saying it was not race related just wanting to give the benefit of the doubt.

Wouldn't that be the very definition of racial profiling?

[bettyandbob]

I think there is a good chance that racial profiling may be what happened. And even if there isn't I can certainly understand why the OP would be ready to think it was racial profiling. I think it's hard to not be white. And it's hard for white people to understand that sometimes. I'm white BTW.

 

However, my ds has been stopped by police walking home late morning during public school hours. A few years ago my ds was stopped walking home from his French tutors house. The police officer who stopped him asked him if school had let out early. My ds just said that he was homeschooled and he was walking home from his French teacher's house. The officer just said OK and left.

[Flowing Brook]

Wouldn't that be the very definition of racial profiling?

 

How so? A black teen male was seen breaking into a house. Ten minutes later op's son walks down the street. He's the same age,race, height, and weight as the suspect they are looking for. So they stop and ask him where he's been.

[Wheres Toto]

I agree with Cat, although I guess it could depend on where exactly they are in NJ.  Seeing teenagers of all different races wouldn't be an unusual thing at all in most of the areas I frequent.

 

My Caucasian, red-headed, fashionably dressing teenage daughter has been asked by police where she was heading when out walking on occasion (with and without her African American ex-boyfriend). 

 

[AlmiraGulch]

How so? A black teen male was seen breaking into a house. Ten minutes later op's son walks down the street. He's the same age,race, height, and weight as the suspect they are looking for. So they stop and ask him where he's been.

 

That is the exact definition of profiling.  

[Mrs Mungo]

How so? A black teen male was seen breaking into a house. Ten minutes later op's son walks down the street. He's the same age,race, height, and weight as the suspect they are looking for. So they stop and ask him where he's been.

Your post didn't say anything about height, weight, etc (not that most people are good at estimating that AT ALL). If they are stopping him because the only "description" is black, then how is it not profiling?

[Flowing Brook]

Your post didn't say anything about height, weight, etc (not that most people are good at estimating that AT ALL). If they are stopping him because the only "description" is black, then how is it not profiling?

 

It's profiling but not in a bad way. My original post said black teen. Do you find it unreasonable that a black teen was seen robbing a house. Then ten minutes a black teen was walking down the street in the same area and the police stop him?

[Jean in Newcastle]

Why is his first taste at being a black teen in America this one incident instead of all the positive things that have happened to him as a black teen in America?  Why isn't it being able to go to community college?  Or being able to live in a neighborhood with a good school district?  He's 18 - surely he's had 18 years of being a black teen in America.

[albeto.]

It's profiling but not in a bad way.

 

Um, maybe... just don't go there. 

 

[plansrme]

My white daughter has been assured by her high school that if she is dismissed early and walks home (we live one mile from the school), that the police will stop her to ask to see her early dismissal pass.  If she doesn't have it on her, they will march her back to the attendance office in the high school.  Was this during school hours?  If so, that's what I would assume--that they were looking for truants.  I hope that is what it is, but I wouldn't hesitate to calmly call the local precinct to be sure.

[albeto.]

When  one of my 12 year old twins told him 'Welcome to the real world, J'  that was when I started feeling really sad for them because I have 5 boys.  

 

 

 

:(

[GailV]

I'm sorry, and when I read it I did interpret it as profiling.

 

Given the thread title, it's hard to read the incident as anything other than profiling -- our minds were already set for it to be something of that ilk.

[LMA]

Based on your info, I interpret it more along the lines of "why aren't you in school?" Look at the time frame. It's a morning on a weekday. Your son is 18 so he could look younger than that. 

[Mrs Mungo]

It's profiling but not in a bad way.

So, what if you were constantly stopped by police while walking through your own neighborhood? Would you feel comfortable? Or would you start to feel nervous? What if they told you white woman had been out prostituting or dealing drugs or robbing houses in the area? Would that matter? Wouldn't you eventually find it a little hostile?

[Flowing Brook]

So, what if you were constantly stopped by police while walking through your own neighborhood? Would you feel comfortable? Or would you start to feel nervous? What if they told you white woman had been out prostituting or dealing drugs or robbing houses in the area? Would that matter? Wouldn't you eventually find it a little hostile?

 

Not if it happened like it did in the op.

[Joker]

If they thought he was truant, why didn't they ask him why he wasn't in school instead of why he was in the area?

[Excelsior! Academy]

I wouldn't automatically assume it was because he was black.  I would assume it was a teen out during school hours. 

[lovinmyboys]

I'm sorry for how this made your family feel. It could have been because he was black, but we don't know for sure. How much do people walk in that area? My DH occasionally (well, twice) has run to our grocery store to get 1 or 2 things and run back home (it's about 2 miles away). Both times he was stopped by the police (although they were in police cars). He is a 30 yr old white guy. I have also walked to our library once and was stopped. I think they are just not used to seeing people walking. They were nice all three times and I got the impression they just wanted to make sure everything was ok.

[Arcadia]

Teenagers aren't usually walking around in my area before 3pm so they would be "questioned" even by curious strangers.  We do have unmasked police cars due to people having their parcels stolen off their front porch during office hours.   I won't assume racial profiling just by this incident.

If your son is walking in a group and he was the only one questioned due to his skin tone, then there is no doubt about profiling.

[Ravin]

Could it have been racial profiling? Sure, it could have. But the boy wasn't at all upset about what had happened, and if he was being profiled by racist police officers, I would assume that he would have sensed some hostility or suspicion being directed toward him.

 

if racial profiling is unofficial policy, or the officers were acting on generalized suspicious rooted in less than conscious factors (the kid doesn't "fit" the neighborhood), that in no way means there would be overt hostility. And with professional officers with good demeanor, there's no reason they'd send off vibes of "we suspect you just because you're black/a teen" and consequently be rude to him.

 

It doesn't have to be overt or conducted rudely to be profiling.

 

Wouldn't that be the very definition of racial profiling?

 

No. Racial profiling is making assumptions and therefore stopping people based upon their race. The circumstance of someone matching a description of a specific suspect officers are looking for is NOT racial profiling. Any such description worth pursuing is going to be less vague than "a black teenager." Vague height references, build, clothes, etc. are often part of it as well.  

[Lisbeth]

I think there is a good chance that racial profiling may be what happened. And even if there isn't I can certainly understand why the OP would be ready to think it was racial profiling. I think it's hard to not be white. And it's hard for white people to understand that sometimes. I'm white BTW.

 

However, my ds has been stopped by police walking home late morning during public school hours. A few years ago my ds was stopped walking home from his French tutors house. The police officer who stopped him asked him if school had let out early. My ds just said that he was homeschooled and he was walking home from his French teacher's house. The officer just said OK and left.

 

I have an honest question, sparked by your comment, "And it's hard for white people to understand that sometimes."

What about Asians?  Do they often get profiled?

 

I separate the profiling issue.  If there had been a crime very recently and this young man matched the description, black, white or purple, then it is just good police work to stop him and get a feel for if he could be involved.

However, if he was stopped ONLY for being black, then that is the kind of profiling that is unethical.

 

It would extremely illogical and counterproductive for police to start thinking, Hmm, that person walking there fits the description of the person who just committed a crime, but because "black" is part of the description, we can't stop him.  Because that would be wrong.

[Mrs Mungo]

if racial profiling is unofficial policy, or the officers were acting on generalized suspicious rooted in less than conscious factors (the kid doesn't "fit" the neighborhood), that in no way means there would be overt hostility. And with professional officers with good demeanor, there's no reason they'd send off vibes of "we suspect you just because you're black/a teen" and consequently be rude to him.

 

It doesn't have to be overt or conducted rudely to be profiling.

 

 

No. Racial profiling is making assumptions and therefore stopping people based upon their race. The circumstance of someone matching a description of a specific suspect officers are looking for is NOT racial profiling. Any such description worth pursuing is going to be less vague than "a black teenager." Vague height references, build, clothes, etc. are often part of it as well.

But, that was my point. No, it's not acceptable to go around stopping every black male in the area because that is the whole of your description.

[Kim in Appalachia]

:grouphug:

 

As someone from Jersey, if this was my hometown, yeah, they would have stopped him because he was black.  They wouldn't look at his age (unless he was really young, like 9 or 10).     :(  I'm so sorry he had to experience it

[Cindy in FL.]

Years ago in our community there was a drive by shooting that killed a teenage boy. We lived not far from his house and my then 16 yo ds would drive that way each day because it was a shortcut. Because he drove a certain kind of car (associated with the types of people they believed were involved), he was stopped, detained, and questioned for hours without our even being notified. He was a white male, decently groomed, and not dressed in any way that would single him out.

 

Sometimes these things just happen because the police are doing their jobs.

[bettyandbob]

Well, OP do you know if there was a break in in your neighborhood today. My local (very local Patch) news service posts burglaries and such usually within 24 hours. 

 

Ya'll are really speculating about a break in. If there was the police should speak to ANYONE who is walking in the area, because anyone walking could have seen anything useful to the investigation. 

 

 

[Carol in Cal.]

Given the thread title, it's hard to read the incident as anything other than profiling -- our minds were already set for it to be something of that ilk.

I would have thought so even without the thread title if I knew that her son was African American.

[suzybluecheese]

I'm sorry this happened to your son.   :grouphug:

[AimeeM]

Today on our way home from the grocery store there was a police car following behind a few high school kids who were walking the sidewalk (all white kids too).

You know your area best, of course, but I might be inclined to think it was a teenager out in the middle of the day issue, before I assumed it was his race.

[Catwoman]

I would have thought so even without the thread title if I knew that her son was African American.

But then aren't you just as guilty of profiling? You're assuming the police were profiling the OP's son without any evidence whatsoever.

[GreenKitty]

That's happened to one of my kids. Stopped in the middle of the day, while walking home from the park, and asked what they were doing. I believe it was because they are expected to be 'in school'?

[Tammi K]

He's 18 - surely he's had 18 years of being a black teen in America.

 

No, he's probably only had 5 :tongue_smilie:  

 

(just teasing, Jean)

[Twigs]

Why is his first taste at being a black teen in America this one incident instead of all the positive things that have happened to him as a black teen in America?  Why isn't it being able to go to community college?  Or being able to live in a neighborhood with a good school district?  He's 18 - surely he's had 18 years of being a black teen in America.

:iagree:

This was my 1st thought as well.

[Jean in Newcastle]

No, he's probably only had 5 :tongue_smilie:  

 

(just teasing, Jean)

Oops.   :p   I obviously have zero years of experience at being a mathematician in America!  

[Carol in Cal.]

But then aren't you just as guilty of profiling? You're assuming the police were profiling the OP's son without any evidence whatsoever.

Nope.

[hjffkj]

I'm a white female and as teenager was stopped regularly by police officers and ask where I was headed or what I was doing out.  It was because I had a school schedule that was not like others and therefore could be out and about while most would have been in school.  I had even been stopped more than once in the same 20 minutes, its mainly because the area I lived in was a college town and had more police than other areas.

 

Not saying it wasn't racially motivated but just not necessarily.  

[Guest submarines]

The police officers were polite. Your son was polite. It was a positive experience all around, as far as I'm concerned. 

 

 

[bettyandbob]

I have an honest question, sparked by your comment, "And it's hard for white people to understand that sometimes."

What about Asians?  Do they often get profiled?

 

 

 

 

I do not have statistics. However, I do not believe Asians are profiled as much as Black, Hispanic and possibly persons of middle eastern descent. 

 

As a society we see images in the news and movies and tv shows that depict criminals more often being black or hispanic. Our history has made persons of one race reasonably suspicious of police behavior. You can't have a race target for generations and expect the current generation to wipe clean all suspicions even if behavior is perfect. And behavior has not become perfect high profile incidence of police target someone who is black show up in the news every couple of years. And for every incident that does show up there is probably more not uncovered. 

 

In recently years localities near me have enacted legislation supposed to target illegal aliens, then end result was everyone who looked the least bit hispanic became a target of police investigation. Then I heard hispanics say that they had become afraid to report crimes. The legislation created a who other group of citizens who were suspicious of police. 

 

I don't recall being suspected of anything. I have never had anyone follow me around a store. It's never been suggested I don't belong somewhere because I couldn't afford it, which is funny because among the people I associate (black, white, asian, hispanic, green and orange) I am mostly the person who cannot afford something. There are a lot of things I have never experienced, let alone experienced multiple times, but I do know these things happen to people who look different than me. Once a person experiences one of these things more than once, they are more likely to think profiling even if that one time the situation did not occur because of profiling. If something happens to you or your family more than once you will have your guard up to see it again. It forever colors your viewpoint. That is what I think white people do not understand. Truly not everything that happens to a black person can be explained away innocently. If you tried that you would find you would be innocently explaining away far more occurrences than a white person experiences.