Princeton, NJ — Members of Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100), a black youth activist organization, recently had a dialogue with a black police officer after being profiled on Princeton University’s campus, where they had convened for a conference. Apparently, the driver was pulled over for “a broken tail light”, but upon checking, the tail light was not even broken.
When they questioned him for his actions, the unidentified officer insisted that he wasn’t trying to criminalize the black youths and said that his feelings were hurt at the accusation. He then let the group go, and even apologized.In the video below, a group of young black people are huddled around the police car, talking to the black officer about what happened. 24-year-old Devin Darrington-Ward tells the officer, “You guys have a responsibility to protect and serve. As black youth we don’t feel like we get that level of protection; we don’t get that benefit of the doubt … like regular white students running around Princeton campus [do].”
The officer agreed, and the outcome seemed to be positive.
About The Black Youth Project 100
The Black Youth Project 100 was launched in 2004 as a national research project. The organization examines the attitudes, resources, and culture of African American youth ages 15 to 25, exploring how these factors and others influence the decision-making, norms, and behavior of black youth. For more details, visit www.byp100.org or follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/blackyouthproject
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