Race, Space and Policing: Growing up in St. Louis in the Post-Ferguson Era

• In Event: The University of Missouri-St. Louis School Safety Initiative

Abstract

In 2014, the shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri sparked a movement focused on race, inequality and policing. In St. Louis County, where Ferguson is located, this event and the protests that ensued directed attention toward policing practices that disproportionately targeted and harmed minorities. While these issues have been well documented in the media and in an emerging body of academic literature, what is missing is the perspective of youth. Drawing on survey data collected from over 3,000 middle school students, this research describes how adolescents growing up in St. Louis County perceive the police as well as the extent and nature of their personal encounters with law enforcement. We pay special attention to differences between youth attending schools in the predominantly African American north section of the county and those students matriculating in South County, where a majority of residents are white. While preliminary, this work has the potential to inform research on the collateral consequences of police contact and how they vary by race and place.

Authors

• Lee Ann Slocum, University of Missouri - St. Louis

• Stephanie Ann Wiley, University of Missouri - St. Louis