He Was Just a Kid: Police Violence, Race, and Age in New York City

• In Event: 252 - Regular Session. Violence and the State

Abstract

A robust body of research demonstrates that African Americans are more likely to be stopped by police than whites net of neighborhood context, crime rates, and other individual level factors. Yet beyond this, we know very little about inequalities in the experience of being stopped by police. Using data on more than 3.5 million police stops in New York City from 2007-2014 and drawing on literatures on race, policing, and the contemporary social movement #BlackLivesMatter, we test a series of hypotheses regarding the associations between race, age, and use of force by police during civilian stops. Findings indicate substantial racial inequalities as well as significant interactions between race and age, suggesting that blacks and whites experience police interactions fundamentally differently, especially young black males. We conclude by considering how inequalities in police-civilian interactions have implications for other sources of inequality in society, including arrest rates, legal cynicism, and involvement in formal institutions.

Authors

• Rory Kramer, Villanova University

• Brianna Remster, Villanova University