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“A mother on a Colorado college tour called the police on two Native American students in the group because they looked like “they don’t belong”, in the latest episode to ignite outrage over racial profiling and needless calls to law enforcement in the US.
Two teenage brothers had traveled from New Mexico for the tour at Colorado State University (CSU) on Monday when a parent called the authorities on them, saying they were quiet and “creepy” and “really stand out”. The call prompted university police to question them, causing the young men to miss the rest of the tour, campus officials said.
“They were shocked. They were trying to figure out what they did wrong,” said Lorraine Kahneratokwas Gray, whose sons Kanewakeron Thomas Gray, 19, and Skanahwati Lloyd Gray, 17, were on the tour. Video released by police showed the officers pulling them aside and asking them what was in their pockets while commanding them to keep their “hands out”.
“It could have ended so much more tragically. When he reached into his pocket, what if the cop thinks he has a gun and shoots him?” the mother told the Guardian by phone.”
– The Guardian, ‘They don’t belong’: police called on Native American teens on college tour.
“For the two Native American brothers, Colorado State University was their dream school.
But when they showed up for a campus tour, a parent of another prospective student called the police on them because they apparently made her “nervous,” the school said.
Friday, the university’s police released the audio of the 911 call in which the parent reports 19-year-old Thomas Kanewakeron Gray and 17-year-old Lloyd Skanahwati Gray. She says their behavior is odd and that they’re wearing “black clothing.” The school also released footage of officers pulling the teens out of the group to question them.”
– CNN, A mom on a college tour called the cops on two Native American teens because they made her ‘nervous’.
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Indian Country 52
Indian Country 52 is a weekly project by David Bernie that uses the medium of posters that promote issues and stories in Indian Country.
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