"The Talk," Physician Version: Special Considerations for African American, Male Adolescents.

Abstract

Police exist to ensure community safety. Unfortunately, whether because of an increased police presence in selected neighborhoods, implicit or explicit bias, or other factors, minority youth disproportionately experience negative encounters with police.1 Adolescent accounts of such encounters are distressing. Youth with whom we consulted recalled many, including 1 in which 2 adolescents were setting up a community event, and only the darker-skinned adolescent was stopped and questioned about his activity. Negative police interactions pose a threat to adolescents’ psychological and physical health. Physicians can address these patients’ experiences, educate them about their rights, and help them stay safe. Minority youth receive disproportionate police attention. In Chicago, ∼60% of surveyed African American and Latino high school students reported having been stopped by police, half of whom characterized the experience as negative and disrespectful.2 Of the young, African American boys surveyed, >70% reported a stop in 2002, which is >3 times the city average.3 Behavioral disparities do not explain such extreme trends. In New York City, African American people were far more likely to be stopped and frisked, although <3% of frisks revealed weapons or contraband, and white people were more likely to be found with such items.4 Such disparities may underlie negative attitudes about police among minority … Address correspondence to Barry Zuckerman, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center/Boston University School of Medicine, 72 East Concord St, Room 324L, Boston, MA 02118. E-mail: barry.zuckerman{at}bmc.org