California's new "Ebony Alert" will alert the public to the "Crisis" of missing Black youth. Some worry that it would make ignoring victims easier

 California's new "Ebony Alert" will alert the public to the "Crisis" of missing Black youth. Some worry that it would make ignoring victims easier

In order to increase awareness and assist in the hunt for missing Black persons, the state of California has put in place a new mechanism.

According to NBC News, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 673 on Sunday, enabling the construction of the "Ebony Alert," an emergency alert system for Black children between the ages of 12 and 25. The new approach is essential in light of the escalating problem, according to state senator Steven Bradford, who led the bill's development.

"Our Black children as well as young women have a disadvantage on the lists of missing persons," Bradford said in a news statement. "This is a public disaster for our whole state and is upsetting and traumatic for so many families. This may be altered via the Ebony Alert.

Despite making up just around 13 percent of the population in the United States, the Black and Missing Foundation's alarming research reveals that over 40 percent of those reported missing were individuals of color. The absence of coverage in the mainstream media, which leaves many families desperate for information about their missing loved ones, is one of the causes leading to this. 

The organization stated: "When time is of the essence, we must reach the greatest number of people in the shortest amount of a period of time the media and social media are somewhat the only entities that have the potential to amplify these stories and to keep these individuals top of mind with the public, which proves crucial for bringing our loved ones home." 

According to Bradford, the system will be activated by the California Highway Patrol at the request of a law enforcement agency that thinks it would aid their investigation. Similar to the Amber Alert, it will alert the public through highway signs and aid in the promotion of the information's dissemination via other channels, such television and social media. On January 1st, 2024, it is anticipated to take effect.

Although the initiative has received support from authorities and campaigners, some internet commenters have attacked the moniker and voiced dismay that Black children even require a separate notice in the first place. 

"Having a distinct alert to demarcate a Black youngster is disturbing to me given how racism operates in our nation. In ten years, if the data shows that Ebony alarms weren't given the same priority as Amber alarms, I won't be shocked, a user on X commented. 

Another individual said, "Ebony Alert is the BEST name they could've thought of. 

Others criticized the warning system for targeting just one race.

Bradford underlined that the alert system is required to address the gap on the imbalance in resources between missing Black persons and their missing White counterparts during an appearance on TMZ on Wednesday.