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The Disproportionate Overrepresentation of Minority Youth in ...

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is attempt<strong>in</strong>g to do with their children, then you will normally see that<br />

same type <strong>of</strong> attitude <strong>in</strong> the child. If you have parents that are very hostile<br />

to the system, feels as though the system is prejudiced or biased or racist,<br />

that attitude then goes over onto the kids. That’s very difficult to deal<br />

with...<strong>The</strong> problems <strong>in</strong> this city come from the Native Americans...<br />

Q. My impression has been Hispanic.<br />

A. I don’t th<strong>in</strong>k so. I th<strong>in</strong>k it’s more Native American...<br />

At times, it depends on the kids. . .1 th<strong>in</strong>k the race bias is def<strong>in</strong>itely there.<br />

I th<strong>in</strong>k sometimes the cultural attitudes and backgrounds. . .1 can’t say<br />

comfortably that it’s only be the police <strong>in</strong>volvement because I really don’t<br />

know what goes on <strong>in</strong> the <strong>in</strong>take unit. I know the <strong>in</strong>take <strong>of</strong>ficers down<br />

there and it wouldn’t surprise me if there is race bias go<strong>in</strong>g on down <strong>in</strong><br />

that <strong>of</strong>fice. I’m not sure if it would necessarily be <strong>in</strong>tentional but it would<br />

not surprise me at all.<br />

Q. Expla<strong>in</strong> to me why you feel that way.<br />

A. Because I see from some <strong>in</strong>take <strong>of</strong>ficers more <strong>of</strong> a almost revenge-type<br />

attitude for non-compliance. Th<strong>in</strong>gs like, they set up an <strong>in</strong>take conference<br />

and these people didn’t come <strong>in</strong>, therefore file a petition. Or, they came <strong>in</strong><br />

and they didn’t like the mother’s attitude. Mom was question<strong>in</strong>g on every<br />

little th<strong>in</strong>g. So it will come up to me with this statement that mom had a<br />

real attitude problem and I don’t th<strong>in</strong>k she will be supportive <strong>in</strong> any k<strong>in</strong>d<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>formal adjustment, therefore file a petition. Those are conclusions that<br />

I th<strong>in</strong>k sometimes <strong>in</strong>take <strong>of</strong>ficers make from a one time meet<strong>in</strong>g with the<br />

family. I can th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>of</strong> a particular case where the <strong>of</strong>ficer met with a black<br />

mother and her child over a theft <strong>of</strong> some Jolly Rancher candy, two cents a<br />

piece, and I th<strong>in</strong>k the kid had five <strong>of</strong> them. And it ended up com<strong>in</strong>g up<br />

here for a petition request because this mother’s attitude really rubbed this<br />

particular <strong>in</strong>take <strong>of</strong>ficer the wrong way. It may not have bothered a<br />

different <strong>of</strong>ficer at all. Had someone maybe talked with this person they<br />

may have said, ‘well, her kid’s tell<strong>in</strong>g her he didn’t do it and if you’re<br />

go<strong>in</strong>g to have a parent-child relationship you got to have some level <strong>of</strong><br />

trust <strong>in</strong> there. Maybe she goes home and talks to the kid some more after<br />

read<strong>in</strong>g the police reports and changes her attitude. But based on the

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