The family of a 13-year-old boy who was allegedly detained by a San Francisco police officer as he was leaving school last month plans to sue the police department, arguing the teenager was racially profiled.
For more, stream KCBS Radio now.
The boy, a seventh-grader at Sterne School in the Financial District, was getting into his tutor’s car outside of the school, according to family attorney John Burris. An officer investigating a car burglary ran up to the boy, yelling for him to get out of the car and place his hands behind his back.
Burris said the officer claimed the boy matched a suspect's description. The boy, according to Burris, weighed fewer than 100 pounds and was only stopped on account of his race.
"The officer runs up the street, he could hardly even tell anything about him other than the fact that he was a Black person," Burris said. "He didn't know how old he was. He didn't know what complexion he was looking for. He was just a Black person."
Two staff members told the officer that the boy was in school all day, but Burris said the officer detained the boy for 20-30 minutes. Delores Coleman, the boy’s mother, said in a statement that he is "traumatized" and afraid of returning to school.
The San Francisco Police Department referred KCBS to the City Attorney’s Office for comment. An office spokesperson said “the city strives to foster trust between law enforcement and local communities.”
“We do not yet have the claim, but when it is filed we will review it and respond appropriately,” the spokesperson said.
San Francisco Police Chief William Scott released a report last month showing the department stopped, searched and used force on Black people at far higher rates last year than people of other races.
Black people were stopped, on average, 39 times per 1,000 residents, compared to seven per 1,000 residents for white people. Police were 10 times as likely to search Black people compared to whites, and 12 times as likely to use force.
"One of the things that has created this divide between African American communities and the police, law enforcement, is this type of case," Burris said.
LISTEN to KCBS Radio
FAVORITE KCBS Radio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Related
