Fear in Black

Prosecutors said "Tamir was big for his age — 5-foot-7 and 175 pounds, with a men's XL jacket and size-36 pants — and could have easily passed for someone much older," according to the Los Angeles Times. They cited "unnamed associates" of the 12-year-old who said Tamir was known to pull his toy gun out "like a robber." The language echoes statements given by the responding police officers, who said they believed the boy was much older than 12.To some social science researchers, these characterizations would not come as a surprise. Rice is black. And research published last year by the American Psychological Association found "evidence that black boys are seen as older and less innocent and that they prompt a less essential conception of childhood than do their white same-age peers." In other words, people tend to think of black boys as bigger and older than they actually are.WP

Notes

The Essence of Innocence: Consequences of Dehumanizing Black Children https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/psp-a0035663.pdf

Black Boys Viewed as Older, Less Innocent Than Whites, Research Findshttp://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2014/03/black-boys-older.aspx#