This week, Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill creating an “Ebony Alert,” which is a tool designed specifically to find missing black children.
According to NBC Los Angeles, the alert is the “first of its kind in the nation to prioritize the search for Black youth gone missing.” It goes into effect Jan. 1.
From that point forward, California Highway Patrol will activate the alert upon request from local law enforcement when a black child has gone missing. Electronic highway signs, radio, television and social media will disseminate the information about the child featured in the alert. The alert will be used for missing black people aged 12 to 25.
“Data shows that Black and brown, our indigenous brothers and sisters, when they go missing there’s very rarely the type of media attention, let alone AMBER alerts and police resources that we see with our white counterparts,” Democrat state Sen. Steven Bradford, who created the legislation, reportedly told NBC News earlier this year.
Berry Accius, the founder of Voice of the Youth, told CBS News that the “sense of urgency is not there” when a person of color goes missing.
“You see the difference of when White girls go missing and Black girls go missing,” Accius claimed."Here in Sacramento, a lot of our girls get exploited and that's the major concern for me.”
Sen. Bradford explained to CBS that the state has Blue Alerts for suspects who attack law enforcement, Silver Alerts for missing seniors, and Feather Alerts for missing Indigenous people. He added that Ebony Alerts expand the age for missing people because Amber Alerts are for individuals 17 years of age or younger.
According to Daily Mail, the new notification system has received backlash.
“I have a radical idea but hear me out,” Libs of TikTok creator Chaya Raichik said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Search for ALL missing kids regardless of their race!”
I have a radical idea but hear me out…
— Chaya Raichik (@ChayaRaichik10) October 10, 2023
Search for ALL missing kids regardless of their race! https://t.co/Jdxl0fQ1wK
Other Twitter users pointed out that the already-existing Amber Alert is used for all children, not just children of a specific race.
In California, a new law passed that creates a separate alert when Black kids go missing called an “Ebony Alert”.
— Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) October 11, 2023
Now, we already have an Amber Alert that took care of all kids, yet now we have a separate one for Black individuals.
Does this make any sense?
And “Ebony”?…
Gavin Newsom has signed into law a separate race-based Amber Alert system —“Ebony Alert” — to prioritize the search for missing black children.
— ThePatrioticBlonde🇺🇸 (@ImBreckWorsham) October 11, 2023
So, missing white children in California are now a lower priority simply because of the color of their skin?
The epitome of racism. pic.twitter.com/gRo88d2gSf
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