A 5-year-old Black boy ran away from his Maryland school in January 2020. But when Black cops Dionne Holliday and Kevin Christmon brought him back, their behavior was unbelievable.
Christmon yelled at the sobbing child while pinning him down to a chair. Holliday screamed in his face, threatening, "I hope your momma let me beat you … I'm going to wear it out." She even called him "a shepherd for the devil" who should be "crated."
Educators watched. His assistant principal laughed. Then, his mother arrived, who later won a settlement against the officers.
Frustrated with his behavior, she warned her son about his already-incarcerated uncle. Christmon discouraged therapy, simulating handcuffing the kindergartner and further warning, “Is that how you want to live your life?” Both officers again encouraged her to beat him.
But is violence really the answer we want for Black children?
White supremacy created both the police system and traditions of corporal punishment within Black families. Although police abuse state power, both reinforce a similar ideology: that Black children deserve to be physically punished for acting out, instead of being communicated with, loved, and understood.
The criminal legal system will continue to brutalize Black children because it's designed to. But from defending children from police to gentler family discipline, we can truly nurture and keep our children safe.