UNITY Native Youth Town Hall Findings: What makes you feel safe?

Police, First Responders, Community Patrols

While not all Native youth feel safe around police officers in their communities, there was a common theme across the different regions during the Town Halls on how law enforcement and community support agencies made them feel secure. In the written questionnaire, 83 Native youth out of 237 (35%) answered that police (tribal or state) “law enforcement,” “first responders” or “community patrols” made them feel safe. Many Native youth listed the police as both a challenge and a community strength to public safety in responses submitted from all the Town Halls. Some youth listed “police violence” and “racist police” as the root cause of them feeling unsafe. “I get panic attacks when I see police, even when I know I’m not breaking the law.” When even one youth feels unsafe, it is our responsibility to address the challenge. Natives are incarcerated at higher rates than other races, which directly impacts a breakdown in family structure.
Both views on community safety are important to validate and acknowledge. This reflects the diversity in tribal communities’ relationships to their law enforcement, which varies on and off Indian reservations, and rural and urban communities.

Written by 92.9 The Torch