The death of George Floyd added fuel to the fire in an ongoing nationwide discussion on racial bias in policing. Many members of the black community in the Rio Grande Valley have said they have been racially profiled by police.

For Isaiah Monet Jackson, who was raised in the Valley, he paints a picture of his personal experience with law enforcement in the area. He says he knows what it’s like to be a suspect before a person. His mother says it has gone as far as police searching their home.

Dr. Natasha McNeely, an associate political science professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, says the Black Lives Matter movement is misunderstood in the Valley.

“As a predominantly Hispanic area, there has to be a recognition that the efforts being promoted by Black Lives Matter and its supporters are not meant to be exclusive to the black community,” explained McNeely.

McNeely also says “defunding the police” means allocating funds to other areas that will help communities thrive.

Watch the video above for the full report.