While leaving a grocery store in South Seattle recently, I saw a common sight: high school students being made to leave their backpacks in a pile at the front door. Before even entering the store, our neighborhood teens are given the direct message that they are thought to be thieves, that they do not retain the dignity of carrying their belongings while shopping, and that they most certainly will be under scrutiny. The practice of stripping a person's belongings before being able to shop is nothing less than creating a second class of citizens that must endure a set of rules not applied to the rest of society. It's cringeworthy that this practice is also happening in a predominantly Black neighborhood. Layers of discrimination are being slathered on South Seattle youth. We must do better.