“I Feel Like I Was Targeted:” Black Youth Navigating Policing in Ontario, Canada

Abstract

This article explores the experiences of contact with the police among Black youth in Ontario, Canada. Findings from individual and group interviews with 46 participants point to the persistence of anti-Black racism in policing practices. Black youth were simultaneously excluded from processes that impacted them directly and treated as responsible adults through (mis)application of the law. Black youths felt police perceived them as Black bodies first and children second. Many Black youth felt their age and inexperience were often disregarded by police officers who held them wholly responsible for knowing and abiding by the law. As a result, Black youth developed adaptive strategies to try to circumvent unfair treatment, with limited success.