Human Targets Schools, Police, And The Criminalization...

Summary: The book Human Targets: Schools, Police, and the Criminalization of Latino Youth by Victor Rios explains his five year research specifically on Latino males ages fifteen to twenty-one, involved in gangs in Southern California. He, just like few of the young men he interviewed had a substandard start, but later mentors came into their lives that gave them a good impact. Also, the physical features influence how young Latino men are seen and they are often seen as human targets to authorities of white decent. To be a human target is to be victimized and considered an enemy by others; it is to be viewed as a threat by law enforcement and schools and to be treated with stigma, disrepute, and punishment(Rios 6). Many if not all of†¦show more content†¦Various details, like teachers giving up on students, or teachers easily removing a student from class can attribute to the success young Latinos will have with their education thus impacting the surveys taken on education levels of Latinos as shown in Latinos in the United States. Many individuals had the knowledge of what education can lead to and what high standards were and part of the problem of why they do not follow it is their economic situation, as discussed in class. During class, we watched a documentary called â€Å"The Graduates† and undocumented students feel that education may not be a possibility and that reminds me how In class we discussed how Latinos have very low death rates but it is unknown if this may change because of the police shooting at suspicious people when in reality many of them are innocent. The lack of economic opportunities can lead to mortality especially amongst Latinos because individuals with low socioeconomic standing tend to die at higher rates and live shorter lives...(Rios 93, Saenz 57). In Human Targets Rios explains that Flaco had gotten his support to gain employment, but the economic standing of his family left him alone with nothing and lead to him commit ting suicide(92). The attacks that the police make towards the Latinos they believe are a threat can lead to the death of the suspect. Victor Rios mentioned that a boy nicknamed Silent experienced a raid in which the feds pointed a gun over his aunt sShow MoreRelatedSummary Of The By Victor Rios1420 Words   |  6 PagesPunished Reflection Victor Rios starts of the book by giving a brief background of his own life and what he experienced as a child in the ghettos of Oakland, California and the events that caused him to turn from his old way of life. During the span of Victor Rios’ juvenile years he decide to join and become a gang member Rios states â€Å"I joined the gang seeking protection that I thought police and other authority figures in the community had failed to provide†(Rios ix) Rios’ quote is the most commonly