Posted on February 22, 2017

Police Cancel ‘High Five Friday’ Because ‘Undocumented Children’ Might Feel Uncomfortable

Alberto Luperon, Law Newz, February 21, 2017

Until recently, this is what little kids in Northampton, Massachusetts saw when they came to elementary school on Fridays: an officer who wanted to give them a high five.

The Northhampton Police Department started the program in early December with the blessing of local school officials, sending out cops once a week to high-five students. That’s over.

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“Concerns were shared that some kids might respond negatively to a group of uniformed officers at their school,” the NPD said. “People were specifically concerned about kids of color, undocumented children, or any children who may have had negative experiences with the police.”

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Northampton is a small, predominantly white town. The 2010 census had their numbers at 28,549. 87.7 of people were white. Asians were the largest racial minority, though a community survey later break that down to a mix of Vietnamese, Koreans, Asian Indians, and people from other backgrounds. Meanwhile, 6.8 percent of residents were Hispanic, ethnically speaking. The majority of them were Puerto Rican and probably U.S. citizens. 2.7 percent of residents are black, while 0.3 were either American Indian or Alaska Native.