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Policing the Racial Divide

Name: Policing the Racial Divide
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Book Synopsis: 2023 Edwin H. Sutherland Book Award Winner
A behind-the-scenes account of the harsh realities of policing in a segregated city.

For thirteen months, Daanika Gordon shadowed police officers in two districts in “River City,” a profoundly segregated rust belt metropolis. She found that officers in predominantly white neighborhoods provided responsive service and engaged in community problem-solving, while officers in predominantly Black communities reproduced long-standing patterns of over-policing and under-protection. Such differences have marked US policing throughout its history, but policies that were supposed to alleviate racial tensions in River City actually widened the racial divides. Policing the Racial Divide tells the story of how race, despite the best intentions, often dominates the way policing unfolds in cities across America.

Drawing on in-depth interviews and hundreds of hours of ethnographic observation, Gordon offers a behind-the-scenes account of how the police are reconfiguring segregated landscapes. She illuminates an underexplored source of racially disparate policing: the role of law enforcement in urban growth politics. Many postindustrial cities are increasing the divisions of segregation, Gordon argues, by investing in downtowns, gentrified neighborhoods, and entertainment corridors, while framing marginalized central city neighborhoods as sources of criminal and civic threat that must be contained and controlled.

Gordon paints a sobering picture of modern-day segregation and how the police enforce its racial borders, showing us two separate, unequal sides of the same city: one where rich, white neighborhoods are protected, and another where poor, Black neighborhoods are punished.

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Introducing "Policing the Racial Divide" - the eye-opening book that takes you behind the scenes of policing in a segregated city. Winner of the prestigious 2023 Edwin H. Sutherland Book Award, this groundbreaking account by Daanika Gordon sheds light on the stark reality of unequal treatment based on race.

In her thirteen-month journey, Gordon shadowed police officers in two districts of "River City," a rust belt metropolis deeply divided along racial lines. What she uncovered was alarming - while officers in predominantly white neighborhoods provided responsive service and engaged in community problem-solving, those in predominantly Black communities perpetuated long-standing patterns of over-policing and under-protection.

But the story doesn't end there. "Policing the Racial Divide" reveals how policies meant to address racial tensions in River City actually widened the gaps between communities. Gordon's in-depth interviews and extensive ethnographic observations paint a vivid picture of how race influences policing practices in cities across America.

What sets this book apart is its examination of the role of law enforcement in urban growth politics. Gordon exposes how postindustrial cities, in an attempt to revitalize their downtowns and gentrify neighborhoods, inadvertently deepen the divisions of segregation. By framing marginalized central city neighborhoods as hotbeds of criminality and civic threats, the police contribute to a system that protects wealthy, white enclaves while punishing poor, Black neighborhoods.

Prepare for a sobering journey into the heart of modern-day segregation. "Policing the Racial Divide" will open your eyes to the harsh realities of the unequal treatment faced by marginalized communities. Join the conversation and be part of the solution.

Get your hands on "Policing the Racial Divide" now and gain a deeper understanding of the racial dynamics that shape our city streets and the urgent need for change.

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