17 year old Elijah Watkins was standing outside his home in suburban St. Louis, waiting for his little sister’s school bus, when a patrol car pulled up. Again.
The officer said he looked “suspicious,” asked him for ID, then told him to sit on the curb. Minutes later, Elijah was in handcuffs again.
This wasn’t the first time. Or the second.
It was the third time Elijah has been detained this year for simply standing outside his own home.
Each time, police later confirmed he lived there. Each time, no apology.
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His mother, Angela, is heartbroken.
Every time I see him step out, I’m afraid it might be the last time, she said. He’s a kid. He’s not a suspect.
Their neighborhood is quiet, mostly white, and supposedly safe. But for Elijah, safe feels like a word that doesn’t apply to him.
Now, civil rights groups are stepping in, demanding answers and change. Elijah’s story is one of thousands, but it’s also a reminder that home isn’t safe if the people sworn to protect you don’t believe you belong there.
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30ish years ago my boyfriend experienced similar. He would be coming home from a youth group put on by the local law enforcement and just as he pulled up to his house, a police car would turn on their lights and sirens.
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