Wisconsin: a paradise for white kids, hell for black kids

In Madison alone, 1,000 black children were arrested in 2013; only 3,247 black children live in Madison.

Wisconsin is rated one of the best states to raise kids -- if those kids are white. Black kids, on the other hand, face one of the highest juvenile arrest-rates in the country. "Juvenile" doesn't just refer to teenagers (as terrible as that would be): Wisconsin regularly arrests small black children, kids 12 and under, on bullshit charges like "loitering" and "disorderly conduct" (e.g., standing while black).

Sirena Flores, 17, said she was arrested for “blocking traffic” during a peaceful protest. Charles Jargue, 18, said he was ticketed as a 10 year old for “running in the street.” One 15-year-old said she was cited for disorderly conduct for picnicking in a restricted area of a park.

Christen Justice, who is black, 6’6’’ and 240 pounds, says he tries his best to avoid the Madison police, but it isn’t always easy. “Some people find me intimidating, I guess,” Justice said. “I try my best to stay out of everyone’s way, I try not to give the police an excuse to look at me twice or a reason to lock me away.

Nearly 13 percent of African American men in Wisconsin are incarcerated, a rate that’s twice the national average.

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