Racial Profiling and Autism: How Do We Keep Our Kids Safe From the George Zimmerman's of the World?

Last night as I listened to the Jury declare George Zimmerman not guilty of 2nd degree murder and manslaughter of young Trayvon Martin - I was heartbroken. As a parent, my heart ached for Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton. No parent should ever have to lose their child to such senseless violence.

I sat on my sofa with tears streaming down my face - shocked that a young black man's life was of such little value in the state of Florida. Disgusted by the Stand Your Ground law and how one could hide behind it.

We live in a country where citizens in most states have the right to bare arms, to stand their ground in the name of self-defense. We live in a country where Americans have easier access to guns than mental health.

And we live in New York City where Stop and Frisk is practiced.  

In May of 2012, I wrote why I fear for young men of color with autism living in urban communities. Zimmerman's not guilty verdict does absolutely nothing to quell my fear, it simply exacerbates it.

When The Boy was in kindergarten, his teachers made him walk down the halls with both hands in his pockets to keep him from flapping his hands. For years I've gone back and forth on whether or not The Boy should be free to flap. I've gotten to the point where I don't care if he flaps. I never asked him to have 'quiet hands.' Now I worry that his hand flapping will be the thing that makes him look suspicious. If he's walking down the street with his hands balled in his pockets or fidgeting with something - will it look like he's armed? Will his jerky awkward movements or high-pitched scripted speech deem him dangerous?

I don't know how the laws will change or how autism awareness will increase. I don't know what The Boy will look like or be like in ten years. I don't know if he will be able to walk down the street alone. I want him to be independent. But if he is, I will fear for his safety. I fear how he will be perceived.  I fear for any young man with autism...especially those living in a state like Florida.

Children with autism have such a hard time picking up on social cues. They have difficulty understanding body language. How do I teach a kid like mine to be street smart? To be cautious and careful. Who will look after him, when I am gone?  

A few weeks ago, I was talking to someone about The Boy and I mentioned he had autism. Immediately that person brought up Sandy Hook. "Didn't the killer have autism?" she asked. I couldn't even believe that the Sandy Hook tragedy was the connection this person made to autism. I was telling her about my seven-year old son and she associated him with a mass murderer. It was unsettling. It worries me. 

This is why I write. This is why more men and women of color raising children with autism need to come out. This is why autism awareness is critical. People need to understand what autism looks like - not only in children but in young adults. Police and first responders need to be trained to understand and recognize an individual with special needs.

Trayon Martin did not have autism. He was just a boy, walking down the street and targeted as a threat.

But there are many young men of color with autism, who walk down the streets in their neighborhoods. Will they be seen as a threat too? Will someone feel justified to gun them down in the street in the name of standing their ground? 

Eventually our young sons will grow into men. How can we keep them safe ?               

Why I Fear For Autistics in The Hood

Norrin - March 2009

Last year it hit me. One day The Boy will be a young man. 

It happened while I was touring schools.  A few of the schools I toured went up to 21 years old.  

There was one young man - tall, lanky, a few hairs sprouting from his upper lip.  He approached one of the women on the tour - stuck out his hand and yelled "Hi.  My name is Daryl.  What's your name?"  The woman jumped in surprised, held out her hand reluctantly and whispered her name.

I realized she was scared.  I wondered how a woman could tour a special needs school for her child and then be scared of the population?  

Daryl reminded me of an older version of The Boy.  The same self stimulatory behaviors.  The shaggy hair falling over his brow, the wide trusting smile, the lankiness of his limbs.  

I realized that while at 3, 4 or 5 - The Boy's behaviors could be seen as cute, quirky - even endearing.  At 16, 17, 18 - those cute little behaviours could be seen as weird, suspicious. Threatening.  

I hadn't thought about Daryl in months.  Then Trayvon Martin was murdered.  And then Ross Harrison - a 13 year old autistic Bronx boy - went missing.  Ross Harrison has since been found, safe.  

And I haven't stopped thinking about Daryl and those seconds of fear that woman felt.

What if it would have been a dark street?  Late at night.  A strange face in a 'good' neighborhood.  What if Daryl approached a grown man with a gun - wanting to protect his neighborhood from a suspicious character?  Would Daryl be identified as suspicous or Autistic?

Trayvon Martin wasn't autistic.  But he was a young African American male who "looked suspicious."

Ross Harrison is autistic and a young man of color, wandering the subway system - completely lost and alone.   And for those 3 days Ross was missing - I feared for his safety.  All I could think about was Trayvon Martin.  And if Ross looked suspicious to anyone.  I couldn't imagine what his parents must have been going through.        

One day, The Boy will be a young man.  And he's Latino.  The Boy will probably continue to dress like The Husband: baggy camo pants, hoodies and high top sneakers.  And The Boy's behaviors could  make him look suspicious.  

I've lived in New York City all of my life.  I grew up in Queens.  And I now live in The Bronx.     We live in a working class neighborhood.  There is crime and racial profiling exists.  

I've seen young men of color stopped in street and padded down for no reason.  I've seen kids get beat up.  I've seen blood splattered on sidewalks.  I've seen prostitutes, pimps and crackheads.  I've seen drugs exchange hands.  I've been in bodegas (small grocery stores) with bullet proof glass.  I've heard the sound of gun shots in the middle of the night.  I have friends who have been robbed at gunpoint.  Not only in The Bronx but everywhere.   It's part of living in an urban environment aka "The Hood."         

Two years ago, my cousin (who has a developmental/intellectual disability) went missing for three days.  He was found in a hospital - brutally beaten by a group of teenagers who misinterpreted my cousin's behaviors as "disrespectful."  

The Boy won't be 17 for 11 more years.  And while New York doesn't have the same gun laws that Florida does - my mind still wanders to the what if.

Autistics in the hood need to learn social skills, self help skills and street skills.  

Are there programs in place to teach young men and women on the spectrum how to deal with the Police?  How to deal with crime?  Do we teach them to identify themselves as Autistic?  Or will this make them even more of a target?

How do we keep our kids safe from the George Zimmerman's of the world?    

I guess I still have some time to figure it out.

In the meantime, I'm going to check out these websites below:     

Howard County Autism Society - The Howard County Autism Society of America, together with its partners, the national office of the Autism Society of America (ASA), and Law Enforcement Awareness Network (L.E.A.N. on Us), with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime is working to develop and pilot a model, replicable Victims with Autism Assistance, Education, and Training Program.

Autism Risk Management - Autism training and resources for law enforcement, emergency first responders, parents, educators, care providers, and the autism community.