Richmond youths sound off to U.S. attorney general about bad cops

Cops who treat city kids with respect instead of an iron hand are too few and far between, a handful of Richmond youths told the U.S. attorney general on Friday.

The meeting inside the RYSE Youth Center in central Richmond, a former trash-collection office turned into a recreation and training center for hundreds of kids, was unlike most of those on Lynch’s agenda.

Ten young people sat in a circle and sounded off about the police officers they encountered in their schools and on the streets.

Jennifer Duenas recalled how daily contact with the police at Richmond High School left her intimidated.

Lynch, the first black woman to serve as attorney general, told the youths she was touring the country to find out how to recruit the kind of officers that communities are looking for.

Lynch briefly toured the center, admiring the foosball table and the art and recording studios.

“I like your Panther poster,” said Lynch, a statement that has passed the lips of few, if any, U.S. attorneys general.