WASHINGTON (AP) — Years before the high-profile deaths of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, more than half of African-American millennials indicated they, or someone they knew, had been victimized by police violence or harassment.

This comes from the "Black Millennials in America" report issued by the Black Youth Project at the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago.

The paper says 54.4 percent of black millennials answered yes when asked "Have you or anyone you know experienced harassment or violence at the hands of the police?" However, most black millennials — 71 percent — also said they believe neighborhood police were "there to protect you."

The leader of the Black Youth Project, Cathy Cohen, says the data "provides us with more complexity" about the attitudes of young blacks.
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(Photo: AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)