(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) A new California bill would create an “Ebony Alert,” missing persons alert system, to specifically notify the public when black women and children go missing.
The Post Millennial reported that state senator Steven Bradford said in a release on the race-based crime bill that the bill would “address the often ignored or lack of attention given to black children and young black women that are missing in California.”
According to him, the reason why this new alert system was created is that black children, which comprised 38% of those reported missing in the US, are often classified as runaways. That means that their disappearance does not trigger the Amber Alert system.
Instead of changing the requirements for determining if a missing person is a runaway, law enforcement would be encouraged to use the Ebony Alert “if that agency determines that it would be an effective tool in the investigation of a missing black youth or young black woman between the ages of 12 – 25 years.”
The reason why Amber Alert doesn’t target runaways is that the system targets people who were abducted.
“In order for an AMBER Alert to be activated, the following criteria must be met,” California’s Amber Alert system states, “Confirmation that an abduction has occurred or a child was taken by anyone, including, but not limited to, a custodial parent or guardian.
“The victim is 17 years of age or younger, or an individual with a proven mental or physical disability. The victim is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death. There is information available that, if disseminated to the public, could assist in the safe recovery of the victim.”
The Amber Alert also doesn’t have a racial component, but Bradford thinks that the alert system is discriminatory and contains within it some kind of implicit bias.
“The Ebony Alert would ensure that resources and attention are given so we can bring home missing black women and black children in the same way we would search for any missing child and missing person,” he said.
“When someone who is missing is incorrectly listed as a runaway, they basically vanish a second time. They vanish from the police detectives’ workload. They vanish from the headlines. In many ways, no one even knows they are missing.”
“How can we find someone and bring them home safely when no one is really looking for them?” he added.
