Boundary Effects and Racialized Policing: Examining Stop-Question-and-Frisk in Gentrifying New York

• In Event: Policing and Racialized Communities: Legitimacy, Trust, and Surveillance

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between neighborhood gentrification and racially differentiated policing practices in New York City from 2014 to 2019, focusing on Stop-Question-and-Frisk (SQF) incidents. Using fixed-effects negative binomial regression models combining American Community Survey data and NYPD's SQF database, the research investigates how gentrification affects SQF patterns across racial groups and contested neighborhood boundaries. Findings reveal a complex cubic relationship between gentrification and SQF practices, with police stops peaking during moderate levels of gentrification before declining in highly gentrified areas. This pattern is particularly pronounced for Black residents, with significant moderation effects by white population boundaries. The study demonstrates that the intensification of policing during neighborhood transformation disproportionately affects Black individuals, especially in areas with lower white population boundary scores. These results extend group threat theory by showing how perceived threats and resulting police practices operate differently across various stages of neighborhood change, while supporting theoretical frameworks that conceptualize gentrification as a spatially-mediated form of racial control. The findings contribute to our understanding of how urban transformation processes intersect with racial inequality in law enforcement practices.

Author

• Yuna Lee, University at Albany