Our youth in “survival mode”

In big cities and at school, our young people face all kinds of violence on a daily basis—verbal, psychological, physical, and so on. But when that violence comes from state authorities, a sense of injustice takes root deep within them, leading them to hate those authorities and lose all respect for them... Repeated identity checks, racial profiling, being judged by the way they dress. It’s a vicious cycle that has been creeping into our society for a long time...

I’m not talking about actual criminals, but about young people who just want to dress like everyone else: sweatpants, sneakers, a cap, a fanny pack, or a shoulder bag... Because we have to understand that this is also a defense mechanism; clothes don’t make the man, of course... But in their world, there are codes, and if you don’t want to be devoured alive, you have to be cunning and use every possible trick to avoid becoming a “victim.”

As the mother of a teenager studying in Paris, I’ve often disagreed with the way he dresses or talks with his friends (even though he’s always respectful with family and in public), but I know full well that he’s in “survival mode” in Paris. He’s a rebel, just like his mom!

To get a sense of what these young people are going through, I had the opportunity to put together a video using footage my son and his friends shot during the blockade of his high school on March 19 and 21, 2025. You can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/PBpAvXQnQK4?si=6cjiFO6PvWoUv2dr.

To set the scene, let me tell you a story based on real events that were shared with me, about a 17-year-old we’ll call Aïden...

Hi, I’m Aïden, I’m 17, and I’m in high school. I’m going to tell you about something that happened to me a few days ago.

I was just hanging out, walking around the streets of my town. I saw some friends on the sidewalk across the street, so I crossed over to say hi. There were a bunch of cars parked on the sidewalk, including a police car.

A few minutes later, I started walking again. I walked past their car, and that’s when I saw the driver looking at me in his rearview mirror. At the same time, he started backing up even though I was right behind him.

By reflex, I yell:
— Hey!
And that’s when everything went to hell...

— What did you just say? the cop yells at me.
— Well, you’re backing up right as I’m passing!
— There’s a sidewalk! The road is for cars!
— Well, there’s no room on the sidewalk—cars are parked everywhere!
I was about to walk away, but the cops got out of their car.
— Get up against the wall!
I did it right away because I could tell this was going to end badly. They started by frisking me. Then the cop who had been driving the car came over. He frisked me a second time, much more aggressively, shoving me violently against the wall.
— Are you known to us?
— No, sir, I’m not known to you…
I’d never done anything that would make me known to the police.
— But yes, you are! Do you have any ID?
— I have my driver’s license.
—Then give me your damn license!

I cooperated and handed it over to him.
A few seconds later, he could see that I wasn’t on file and that I had nothing to hide.
That seemed to piss him off even more.

— You’ve got something on you, don’t you, you little whore?
He was clearly talking about drugs or a weapon.
— No, sir, I don’t have anything.
— Let me see your bag!
Without even letting me take it off, he grabbed my bag, which was on my back, and yanked it violently. The strap almost choked me. He rummaged through it but found nothing.
— You hang around here at night, huh, you little slut?
— No. At night I sleep. Why are you talking to me like that? Why are you insulting me? I didn’t do anything. I’m talking to you normally.
Then he got within two inches of my face.
— Come here at night, you’ll see, you little slut, things will go differently for you.
At that moment, I was shaking so hard because I was under so much pressure.
The cop kept yelling at me:
— You’re scared, aren’t you! You’re scared! Come on, come here at night, and you’ll see what happens to you!
— No, I’m not scared!