A black 19-year-old girl says Bakersfield, CA police drew their guns, punched her in the mouth, and had a police dog bite her after they allegedly mistook her for a much larger, bald black man who was suspected of threatening people with a machete at a nearby grocery store. Tatyana Hargrove’s story is picking up more and…
Aisle C 
Barkersfield is north of me a few hours. The city has a long history of police violence.
Re. the police only knowing she was a girl when she said her name. Were these White police? Because for some really weird reason that I still haven’t sorted White police seem to have difficulty telling girls from boys in my experience. When girls are POC.
First of all she looks tiny. Her hair is parted & braided in the way only worn by girls. (Where some hair is combed flat & the braid looks like it crosses it). Her ears are pierced & she is wearing girls/womens earrings. (Of course some boys/men now have both ears pierced but don’t wear those type of earrings). Was she supposed to ride her bike in a frilly party dress w/ a big bow in her hair for them not to mistake her for a grown man? Is she supposed to look like a cartoon girl… bow drawn on top of head.
And the not cooperating charge was obviously because she knew her rights & did not want to hand over her backpack without the warrant. So if the law states a warrant is required how can they legally charge her w/ being uncooperative? Why isn’t that just thrown out by a judge?
I’m glad things did not go even worse for her. From the dog biting & being punched in the face she could have had broken bones… & that she’s getting legal help.
Question: A “machete” fits in a backpack? (Since that was their reason for wanting to look in there). I thought a machete was very long.
I believe the Western pale beauty ideal that’s been forced onto the entire world by now causes police to see brown girls as unfeminine/masculine & hence even mistaking them for boys. WHY is this not addressed more? It is frankly WEIRD. When I was ten or eleven two young blond policemen were mocking me asking me if I was a “boy or a girl”. I didn’t answer them until I realised they were not going to leave me alone until I answered. So finally I said “What do you think?” & they looked really confused & walked away. I had two gold earrings in my ears — large enough for them to see (about 3/4″). It was the very early 70s so I think because I was wearing jeans or cords & a blue work shirt (remember those?) & had shoulder length hair they thought I was a young boy w/ long hair & they should therefore tease me for having hair like a girl. When I spoke I honestly think they still may not have had their answer. I think they only stopped mocking me because before I spoke they were sure I was a boy & by speaking I confused them & made them not know either way. (But again: the very visible earrings…).
This is a further indication that some White people see colour over & above age & sex & anything else. And they don’t see colour very well either! Every single person who is not White gets described as having “black” hair if they are Black/Latino/Asian/Arab. Even if their natural hair is dark brown/brown/medium brown/light brown/reddish brown etc. Yet White people are described w/ a rainbow of haircolours. I literally used to get in arguments w/ people for them always describing every single POC as having ‘black’ hair.
This is mental. These police were just looking for ‘a black person’… ‘any black person’… age/sex/weight/height/clothing/voice were all completely insignificant to them. They only knew she was a girl once she told them her name? What about her VOICE. Are we to believe that before that moment she had the voice of a grown man? (Not brought up in the article. I hope her lawyers bring that up).
This is why when some White people say “I don’t see colour.” they haven’t a clue & they should actually be looking at individuals w/ GREATER discernment & accuracy. The NOT seeing is the problem.
This reminds me of the young girl in the bikini at the pool in Texas being abused by the policeman. Honestly that was obscene.
Young girls are routinely tackled & beaten by police for swimming & riding their bike. Regardé. 5’2″ girls.
These cops should take art classes. Where they are forced to look at different people of different sexes & ages & sizes for HOURS. Life drawing (clothed vs. nude). That’s the only constructive thing I have to say here. Honestly EVERY SINGLE POLICEMAN/WOMAN should have to take life drawing/portraiture classes to learn how to see. (Or UNsee as my teacher taught me).
when i wake up i’ll tell you about a policeman in my art class. glad he was interested.glad he was a college student.
I was an adjunct art prof at the most racist university in the USA (except for all the others). I came to work one day and one of the other profs said that a policeman had been up there looking for me. Of course he made a good natured joke about it. I would have done the same if the situation was reversed, so I didnt take it racially even tho I was the only black prof in the department. I was thinking, why in the world would the police be looking for me? Turns out the policeman was one of my students with a question about an assignment or something class related. He just happened to be wearing his uniform when he came to see me. LOL! I was teaching art 101. Needless to say he was a white young guy. White like most of my students. Glad he was interested in art. Glad he was getting a college education.
First of all I love that you can read & type & post a comment in your sleep!
This is yet another indication that the Nomad may be an intergalactic visitor on our tiny oceanic marble.
Very funny story from the halls of art studies/academia.
Frank Serpico — NYC’s favourite x-cop — became an artist (painter?). He built his own house upstate (NY near Woodstock…). He had a website or blog or FB (I forget) that he was posting at for awhile (& possibly still is?). He was posting pro-Palestinian comments. I really love him!
If you are reading this Frank Serpico — you are a beautiful gem.