POLICE OVERREACH
How Police Strip Searching a Young Black Girl Makes Black Women Feel
We should protect Black girls and women, but that's not happening
When Metropolitan police strip-searched a 15-year old Black girl dubbed as "Child Q," they violated her privacy in a way Black women are familiar with. Rarely given the grace or womanly privileges afforded to White women, Black women often find themselves subjected to indecent searches. Moreover, according to a report by the University of Florida Levin College of Law, stereotypes that insist Black women are "governed by libido and loose morals," more likely to be liars, and more "manlike and aggressive," help facilitate an environment where Black girls and women experience violence from law enforcement.
"Women make up a growing share of arrests and report much more use of force than they did 20 years ago," and Black women are facing the brunt of this shift. While the national discussion about police brutality often centers on Black men, Black women are the number one group, amongst women to experience disparate stops, searches, arrests, and abuses, more than three times likely as White women. And the premature adultification of Black girls means law enforcement feels empowered using punitive measures against them.
