Overview: The body-slamming to the cement face first of a 17-year-old Black girl by a San Bernardino police officer has sparked outrage and calls for an investigation by California Attorney General Rob Bonta. The incident is part of a broader pattern of police brutality against Black youth, with Black girls being disproportionately targeted and perceived as adults. The Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality has found that Black girls are viewed as more adult than their white peers, leading to harsh treatment by police and severe disciplinary action at school. The community is demanding change and accountability from the San Bernardino Police Department.
S.E. Williams
When news hit social media in the wake of a San Bernardino police officer’s vicious assault and body slamming of an African American female, 17-year-old, Erin (identified by first name only), a firestorm erupted across the inland region. The event occurred on Wednesday afternoon, May 21.
Although a video of the occurrence posted on social media does not capture the entire incident, it begs the question, “What could a slightly built, unarmed, 17 year-old-girl possibly have done to be slammed to the pavement with such force it cause her to sustain severe injuries including a dislocated wrist and several stitches to her face?”
The answer to this rhetorical question–at least in my mind and I am almost certain in the minds of others in the community–is an unequivocal–Nothing! If you have not already seen the video, Here is your opportunity to judge for yourself.
This incident is just another glaring example of what can happen when you have an overly aggressive police officer working in an environment where systemic and institutional racism is historic. All you need is one young Black girl who may or may not have cooperated with his commands and he immediately feels empowered to exert his authority over her; slam her to the ground face first and disfigure it, dislocate her wrist, and leave her emotionally devastated and marred for life.
I agree with the family’s attorney, Toni Jaramilla, who stated in a press release, “’This is a clear cut case of police abuse and excessive force by the San Bernardino Police Department which has a long history of excessive force complaints by African American victims of police brutality.”
The abuse of a Black teen-aged girl by police is sadly, not an aberration. Black girls themselves, their advocates and the expertise of researchers concur that our Black girls are often “stripped of their innocence at a young age and perceived and treated like adults.”
A 2017 study by the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality noted that the way Black girls are perceived, not only dehumanizes them, it makes them targets of “harsh treatment by police and severe disciplinary action at school.” Among the most egregious findings of this study was that Black girls, as young as five years-old, are perceived to need less protection and nurturing than white girls.
This is not the 1850s, but Black girls (and women) remain at risk. We are still perceived by many the same way Sojourner Truth was perceived when she proclaimed in 1851, “Ain’t I A Woman?” History notes that the purpose of her rhetorical question was two fold. Yes, it was aimed at the hypocrisy of male chauvinism but it was also meant to clearly emphasize that Black women deserve and are equally worthy of the same protections and respect afforded white women.
As emphasized and concluded in the Georgetown report, “Black girls bear the brunt of a double bind.” On the one hand they are viewed by many whites as “more adult than their white peers,” and “they are more likely to be disciplined for their actions.” In addition, on the other hand, they are also “more vulnerable to the discretionary authority of teachers and law enforcement than their adult counterparts.”
While Black girls (as children) on the one hand are viewed as dependent, with limited rights, at the same they are viewed as possessing these adult characteristics including things like “sexual maturity, individual agency and criminal responsibility.” This has resulted in Black girls being “directed into, rather than out of the juvenile justice system.”
The disparity of Black girls being funneled through the system is evident in the data. According to a 2023 Vera Institute assessment, “Black youth make up 25 percent of all girls’ detention admissions despite accounting for only 7.8 percent of California’s youth population.”
This is a problem for Black girls (and boys), their parents and those who support their quest for equal treatment. But, this nation, this state, this community, will never repair a problem it refuses to see. It is passed time for the community to demand that the San Bernardino Police Department open its eyes and change its behavior.
These are children. As the report concluded, “Only by recognizing the phenomenon of adultification [of Black girls (and boys)] can we overcome the perception that “[i]nnocence, like freedom, is a privilege.”
Please join me in demanding that California Attorney General Rob Bonta investigate this case. His email address is rob.bonta@doj.ca.gov. His mailing address is 1300 “I” Street, Sacramento, CA 95814-2919. Or, you can call 916-210-6276 or 800-952-5225.
Let your voice be heard on this issue. Do not remain silent. Last week it was Erin. Who will it be this week or next week? Your child? Your grandchild? The child of a neighbor, friend, other loved one or stranger? If we don’t fight for the safety of our Black children, who will? Let’s mae some noise.
Of course, this is just my opinion. I’m keeping it real.