Civilian-Police Encounters: Contemporary Implications for Race, Gender and Place (Organized by Division on People of Color and Crime)

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract

This panel features results from multiple qualitative data sources collected in Ferguson, MO and Baltimore, MD, in 2014 and 2015, respectively. In unpacking the dynamics of racial tension within contemporary policing operations, these studies provide insights from both law enforcement personnel and the civilians with whom they must work, disaggregated by place, race, gender, and age. Findings suggest that compared to black men, black women were more likely to use the tactic of avoiding cops and “policing” the police; among black civilians, age and generational membership may moderate attitudes about personal responsibility for police profiling; despite police diversification efforts that highlight the common racial backgrounds shared by black civilians and African American officers, many black citizens still report dissatisfaction with black officers; and police officers’ responses to Michael Brown’s death vary by race, geographical assignment, and organizational rank.

Sub Unit

• Area II: Division “Highlighted” Sessions

Individual Presentations

• Race, Gender, and Responses to the Police among Ferguson Residents and Protesters - Michael Conteh, Michigan State University; Jennifer Cobbina, Michigan State University; Collin Emrich, Michigan State University

• Your Pants Won’t Save You: Why Black Youth Challenge Race-Based Police Surveillance and the Demands of Black Respectability Politics - Erin M. Kerrison, University of California, Berkeley; Jennifer Cobbina, Michigan State University; Kimberly Bender, University of Michigan Flint

• Ferguson and Baltimore Residents’ Experiences with and Perceptions of Black Officers - Jennifer Cobbina, Michigan State University

• Ferguson from a Police Perspective: Examining Experiences and Impact by Race - Tammy Rinehart Kochel, Southern Illinois University