Examining the Contextual and Spatial Aspects of Exposure to Violence in Wilmington DE

• In Event: Topics in Race and Class

Abstract

There is growing interest in understanding the concentration of violence in specific locations or micro-places, particularly since census tract or block group level data can mask important variations in crime and violence. Wilmington Delaware has been labeled “Murder Town USA” and one of the “most dangerous small cities in America” (Newsweek 2014; Payne et al., 2023). Drawing on a large survey of street-identified Black males and females (N=772) in two sections of Wilmington, which provides data on geographical location and exposure to and types of violence, we offer spatial and contextual analysis on exposure to violence in Wilmington. Our investigation incorporates both a novel approach to detecting micro places where violence occurs, while also acknowledging the community-level race and economic conditions that sustain violence in these locations.

Authors

• Abass Muhammed, University of Delaware

• Yasser Arafat Payne, University of Delaware