California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 673 into law Sunday, officially enacting the “Ebony Alert” law which will allow the California Highway Patrol to activate an alert specifically for missing black people, NBC News reported.
The Ebony Alert, which goes into effect in January, per NBC, will apply to missing black people aged 12 to 25, as opposed to amber alerts which only apply to children under the age of 17. (RELATED: Gavin Newsom Signs Law Forcing Investment Firms To Publish Diversity Data For Companies They Back)
“This law gives police a new tool to help bring home missing Black youth & Black women!” Democratic state Sen. Steven Braford, the bill’s author, said on Twitter. “It will also raise public awareness about the disproportionate numbers of Black missing persons.”
The #EbonyAlert has been signed!
Thank you, Gov. Newsom! This law gives police a new tool to help bring home missing Black youth & Black women! It will also raise public awareness about the disproportionate numbers of Black missing persons. https://t.co/Z2l6LD2CK1#CAleg #SB673 pic.twitter.com/9DDIPwGmrS— Senator Steven Bradford (@SenBradfordCA) October 9, 2023
“Data shows that Black and brown, our indigenous brothers and sisters, when they go missing there’s very rarely the type of media attention, let alone AMBER alerts and police resources that we see with our white counterparts,” Bradford told NBC.
While many on the left celebrated the segregated alert system, some on Twitter took exception to the new law.
“What will they follow this up next with? Priority service for Black’s on busses? How about medical attention? California is pretty racist,” one user posted.
Another user had an AI write a “Curb Your Enthusiasm” script based on the legislation.
“What’s next? A ‘Ginger Alert’ for missing red-headed children?” the AI Larry David questioned.
I asked ChatGPT to script a scene of Curb Your Enthusiasm in which Larry and Leon get California’s new Ebony Alert. It did not disappoint. pic.twitter.com/a3oRUB9AgT
— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) October 10, 2023