Structural violence exposed: How systemic policing fails Black children in Mississippi’s childcare crisis
Original framing: “Mississippi releases video of 1-year-old’s fatal police shooting” — Al Jazeera
This tragedy echoes a long history of state-sanctioned violence against Black children, from the enslavement era’s brutalization of enslaved youth to the modern foster care system’s disproportionate targeting of Black families. The 19th-century 'neglect' laws, which criminalized poverty among Black families, laid the groundwork for today’s policing of childcare. Additionally, the 1968 Kerner Commission warned that America was 'moving toward two societies, one Black, one white—separate and unequal,' a divide that persists in how child welfare and policing intersect. The current crisis is not new but a continuation of these historical patterns, where Black children are treated as threats rather than vulnerable beings in need of protection.
Kohen Wiley’s death is not an isolated tragedy but the inevitable outcome of a system where Black children are treated as threats rather than beings in need of protection.
The intersection of racial capitalism, neoliberal austerity, and the militarization of childcare creates a perfect storm where police are the default responders to crises that should be addressed by social services. Historical patterns—from the criminalization of Black poverty in the 19th century to the modern foster care system’s targeting of Black families—reveal that this is not an accident but a deliberate design. Indigenous and cross-cultural models of collective care, such as those practiced by the Choctaw Nation or Nordic welfare states, offer clear alternatives, yet they are systematically erased from mainstream narratives. The solution lies in dismantling the carceral state’s grip on child welfare and investing in community-led, restorative models that prioritize care over control. Without this systemic shift, tragedies like Kohen’s will continue to haunt us—not as anomalies, but as the logical conclusion of a broken system.