Race, a Teen Curfew and the 7-Eleven Group Theft

Like many others who saw the footage, Vernon Ricks was concerned by the highly publicized 7-Eleven group theft in which more than a dozen youths allegedly entered a Germantown convenience store on Aug. 13 only to leave in unison with $450 worth of stolen snacks.

“When a kid who is younger than 18 is out at 1:30 in the morning, unmonitored, I have a parental concern,” Ricks said. “That old saying, ‘Do you know where your children are?’”

But there was another detail that worried Ricks: All the youths in the video appear to be African American. Ricks, who is a member of Montgomery County’s African American Advisory Group, said he’s concerned that this would reinforce negative stereotypes.

“I’ve heard all kinds of comments from folks about the kids — normal racial comments folks make about black kids when they see them together, people who see a group of kids and go to another side of the street,” Ricks said. “We don’t need to carry that kind of image.”

Race has entered the discussion as Montgomery County Council's public safety committee prepares to revisit County Executive Isiah Leggett's revamped youth curfew law this week. Leggett has used the alleged group theft to defend his proposed youth curfew. The young people in the footage reportedly entered the convenience store on Wisteria Drive at 1:47 a.m., a time that would have violated Leggett's curfew law.

Meanwhile Councilman Craig Rice (D-District 2), whose district includes Germantown, has voiced concerns over a curfew law's potential for racial profiling. Rice, who is African American, also made a point to state that Germantown didn't have an "African-American crime problem" when officials announced during a late August press conference that charges were pending against 17 youths for their alleged involvement in the group theft.

In addressing a curfew law’s potential for racial profiling, Leggett, who is African-American, said in an interview with NPR that a curfew would address what he viewed as a broader public safety issue — a perception that Montgomery County has become an “oasis” for youths who live in neighboring jurisdictions with curfews.

A Demographic Shift Upcounty

Though racial and ethnic minorities account for less than a quarter of the 2nd district’s population, Upcounty had the largest percentage of growth in minority populations among the county’s five districts over the past decade.

According to figures provided by the Montgomery County Planning Board, the proportion of racial and ethnic minorities in the District 2 increased by 89 percent between 2000 and 2010.

The data show the biggest population booms from within the Hispanic and Asian communities, with a 144 percent increase in the Hispanic population, and 99 percent increase in the Asian/Pacific Islander population. The African-American population grew 59 percent, while the population described as "other race" grew 43.9 percent, the county data show for Germantown. 

In contrast, the white population shrank by 12 percent.

Where Politicians Stand

Despite the demographic shift Upcounty, Ricks said stereotypes persist. He said young people should view the so-called group theft incident as a “teaching moment.”

“That their behavior is being monitored, that we don’t carry that negative image,” Ricks said.

To be clear, neither Rice nor Ricks, who also attended the press conference in August, have claimed that racial profiling was a factor in the Germantown incident. In fact, there has been a deliberate reiteration of the same message since the youths were charged — that a community effort led to the arrests, thanks to police, high school principals and teachers, and others in the community who helped circulate the police YouTube clip.

And while Rice and Ricks have voiced concerns over racial profiling, neither has officially shown unequivocal support or opposition toward Leggett’s youth curfew, though both seem to be leaning toward “yes.”

Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger addressed concerns over racial profiling during a public hearing for the curfew law, when asked by Rice how the police would that ensure racial profiling would not occur.

“You select the right people to be police officers. You get them the right training, the best available training. You hold them accountable for their actions,” Manger said at the hearing. “It is imperative that our police officers abide by the Constitution, abide by the law.”