The Disproportionate Overrepresentation of Minority Youth in ...

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representation of these kids in the juvenile justice system has been
documented. When we do empirical studies, we find that they are overrepresented.
So the question is, are they doing something to get
themselves there Or is there something else going on Do the police treat
the Hispanics and Blacks differently
A. No, I don’t believe that at all.
Q. Your perception is that the system is colorblind
A. I have never seen a racial incident with a police officer and a citizen.
Throughout my twelve years at the police station and my time here. One
of my co-workers came in and go, well, I ‘ye got this black kid. You
know, I’ve never heard a description of their color come into a
conversation. Not once. So I have a real hard time with bias. The same
with police officers, to have them say, ‘Oh, I had this black kid...’ they
don’t do it. They say, ‘I had a 12-year old’ and it never even, it doesn’t
play 9 into.. .Now if there’s a personal bias when they are out at the scene,
I don’t see it, I am not there. But when they come in, they don’t talk about
it being a racial issue and it is never brought up that way. Understand I
am looking at it from that point of view.
You know I agree with some of what you said. I think there’s always
racist people and they don’t want to admit it, but I also think that blacks
and Hispanics are racist against whites. It’s a no win situation and I think
that people use their race to get what they want. Poor me because I’m this
color, poor me because I didn’t get the education, poor me...But if you
look at it, the government tries to help those minorities much more now
than whites. And the white male is ‘the minority’ most of the time. I just
hate that excuse. . .because they’re black or they’re Hispanic. I know
people are born into poverty and I know it’s a lot harder for them to get
out of it than, say, a white middle-class child. But I think that excuses are
used a lot for minorities.
Q. So to clarify, you believe children of color commit more crimes and
that their treatment by the system, which is fair and objective, is being
seen, purposely or not, as racism
A. Yes.