In Canada from 1885 to 1951, there was a pass system, which controlled when and under what circumstances adult Indians could leave the reserve and that made them subject to questioning by police and citizens. Although slave codes and the pass system have been long abolished, neighborhood watches serve a similar purpose. When George Zimmerman murdered Trayvon Martin and when Gerald Stanley murdered Colten Boushie, these underlying beliefs about who belongs where and who has the right to question or protect ensured their acquittals.
