“911 Is A Joke”: Black and Latinx Policing and Legal Cynicism in Inland Southern California

• In Event: Impacts of Police Interactions

Abstract

Across the United States, Latinx and Black Americans disproportionately experience the brunt of policing, contributing to high rates of legal cynicism. Much needed research examines policing and legal cynicism in the Black community, especially among Black men; yet, we know far less about the legal cynicism of Black women and in the Latinx community. Using an intersectional analysis, this study draws upon 20 interviews with Latinx and Black men and women in Riverside and San Bernardino California to address the following research questions: How do experiences with police vary by race and gender, and how do they contribute to legal cynicism? Tied to legal cynicism, does “the police talk” vary across Latinx and Black respondents and their families? This study finds that experiences with the police vary by race and gender, and contribute to differences in the ways respondents express legal cynicism.

Author

• Humberto Flores, University of California, Santa Barbara